Limitless
by Professor Lewd
Summary: In a world where superpowers are common place, young Izuku Midoriya grew up powerless. Over a decade later, he is playing catch up as he discovers an ability of his own. As he chases his dream of being a pro hero, he finds that the only limit to his new power is his imagination. Aged up AU/University Setting. Rating for any violent/sexual content in the future.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**_ "Thanks to my amazing friend for helping Beta and clean up a lot of this work, without you this wouldn't be anywhere near the level it's at now!  
If you'd like to come discuss the work, things pertaining to other works I've done, or become a beta for this work - join my discord at /xFuDyVM_

_As always, I do not own 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia, this is a fan-work:  
It is the work of Kōhei Horikoshi, serialized by Weekly Shōnen Jump, and animated by Bones.  
The English release is provided by Viz Media and Funimation._

_Please Support the Official Releases."_

* * *

_Italics_ denotes an individual's thoughts

**Bold **denotes large time shifts/ or introductions of new settings; also may be used for emphasis

Line dividers denote a smaller scene or time shift, or flashback

* * *

**Ch. 1: A Hero's Ambition**

Quirks! They are the superhuman abilities that have become commonplace within society. The first incident began many years ago with a glowing baby born in Qing Qing City, China. Since then, the amount of people with these extraordinary abilities has skyrocketed, with current estimates placing the number at around 80% of the population possessing some sort of ability. Normally a quirk would be either inherited from a parent, or be a mixture of both parents' abilities. However, in these extraordinary times, extraordinary and odd circumstances would give birth to these abilities as well...

Of course, the sudden appearance of super-human abilities was not an easy change for society. The world itself almost collapsed as what had long been established as the social norm was completely obliterated by the incredible changes seen within these new generations. This was due to many around the world that began to use these newfound super powers for far more heinous and immoral purposes.

Society seemed to crumble around this new power imbalance. The police found it best to create a model leadership, and not use any powers they might have in an attempt to restore the old status quo, but there still remained a gap between themselves and the new super criminals. To make up this disparity, everyday citizens began to stand up and perform vigilante work with their own quirks to stop those who ran rampant.

It was at this time, the profession of Pro Hero came about, encouraging those with quirks to strive to be the ones to fight back against the super powered criminals and bring back order. Many of those who became Pro Heroes were vigilantes who turned around and became registered members of society that would be legally allowed and encouraged to perform heroics for the good of society. Each country that allowed registered hero work formed their own association, with Japan creating the Hero Billboard Chart. The new heroes would be incentivized to work and be the best based on the number of cases they could resolve, along with how the public perceived them.

As society began to back the Pro Heroes, it became clear there were still many within the shadows that supported the criminals who believed they should be able to freely use their newfound powers. The most notorious of this time was the criminal known as All For One. As time passed, his influence had grown due to his ability to remove someone's quirk and give it to another. Under the guise of helping restore humanity to its former state, All For One was able to amass a number of quirks and legion of those who would carry out his will, eventually taking over Japan from the shadows.

However, as All for One began to gain more power and influence, some of the Pro Heroes began to move against him. One such hero was the now legendary figure known as All Might. Known for his incredibly cheerful mood; incredibly muscular physique; his flashy red, white, blue, and yellow costume; and pronounced blonde hairstyle. All Might was one of the few able to stand up to All for One, culminating in a fight between the legendary hero and villain, with All Might landing a debilitating blow on All For One.

All for One was brought low by the new rising hero, and was placed under armed watch within the prison known as Tartarus. With All for One disposed, it seemed that Japan would return to a tenuous peace; however, there still appears to be those who fight with their quirks in the name of their selfish desires and villainy. Pro Heroes became the shining beacon for many of society, with All Might, the ultimate beacon of hope, being made number one hero and hailed as the Symbol of Peace.

* * *

_**The year 2XXX**_

A young boy with a messy crop of green and black hair sat in a doctor's office, staring off into the distance with a dazed look on his face. As he tightened his grip on the All Might action figure in his hand, his mother asked her question again, "So you're saying he doesn't have a quirk?"

The doctor cleared her throat, and after noticing the boy's distraught state, carefully choose her words, "I'm not quite sure? As far as the X-rays have shown: he has the single pinkie-toe joint that is tell-tale sign of a quirk-owner."

The woman quickly interjected, "My husband has a fire breathing quirk, and I myself can move some smaller objects. Have you tested if our son has anything like that?"

The doctor smiled sadly and looked back at her clipboard, "We've tried to run various tests and asked your son to try doing something like what you've described… but it would seem that the X-ray results might have been a fluke. I'm sorry ma'am, but your son is quirkless."

With this proclamation, the boy's mother had gone white as a sheet. At this point, the woman collapsed into a fit of tears while hugging her son. She began muttering sweet nothings to the boy, assuring him that his dream of becoming a hero could still happen; but, the young boy still had the same glassy stare from before as tears began streaming down his face too.

* * *

The young boy had his dreams completely obliterated by the hospital trip, but there was still a glimmer of hope in him as he asked, "Hey mom, I can be a hero too if I really try? ...Right?"

The distraught mother turned to her child seated behind her in the car and tried to offer a reassuring smile, "I'm sure you can do anything you put your mind to, Izuku. You've always had a way of making people's wishes come true. No matter what happens, I'll be here to support you."

Izuku Midoriya. He was born to the Midoriya household, to a very loving mother and a distant father. His mother, Inko Midoriya, had made every effort to spoil and love her child twice as much due to the absence of his father. While the father, Hisashi Midoriya, spent most of his time at work or traveling on business trips. To say Izuku was raised fatherless wouldn't be too far from the truth.

In fact, you could say that the news of Izuku being quirkless had been the final straw that broke the camel's back: while the boy and his mother had been distraught over this fact, his father had become completely hysterical. In a fit of rage, Hisashi had lashed out at his wife and child nearly attacking them with his Fire Breathing quirk. As Ikuzu hid from his father's wrath, his mother was able to drive him out of the house. The next day Hisashi did not return home. A week later, Inko had found divorce papers in the mail, and just like that, the Midoriya household had gone from three to two.

* * *

Within a day Izuku's life had gone through two tumultuous changes, but his woes did not end there.

It seemed that word had gotten around in his school that he had no quirk. Kids he thought were his friends began to ignore when he asked to eat together or play. Even when his mother tried to arrange playdates for him, parents would make excuses or just flat out hang up. No one wanted to be potentially tied to or weighed down by a quirkless kid.

Yet in this dark time, Izuku still had one other person he could rely on besides his mother: Katsumi Bakugou. The Bakugou family had quite the history with the Midoriyas: the mothers in each family had gone to elementary school and high school together, while it seemed their children would be on the same track. Katsumi had been Izuku's friend from the moment they both could crawl. The pair of parents had raised the two of them as if they were family, with them splitting up who would take the children to school, and even made a plan of having weekly meals together.

Katsumi was defined by two major traits: the first being her incredibly messy short crop of blonde hair and sharp gaze. While the second was her fiery temperament and extremely vainity when it came to her own talents. This of course made it difficult for her to socialize with other kids normally let alone approach them. Despite her shortcomings though, her and Izuku were fast friends.

This all began to change though when Izuku had gone to learn about his potential quirk: while Izuku had come away finding out he was likely quirkless, Katsumi had found out she had inherited a powerful quirk that let her sweat nitroglycerin and create explosions.

With Katsumi's strong quirk and natural vanity, she began to show off to her fellow classmates and gained a new group of friends beyond Izuku. However, as Katsumi began to gain more friends and respect from her classmates, it seemed her relationship with Izuku began to become more strained. This became further and further exacerbated by the friends Katsumi had surrounded herself with that only seemed to fan her ego, until one day it bubbled up and boiled over:

* * *

Izuku, Katsuki, and two of her "friends" had gone off into a nearby park to play. As they were adventuring out, they came across a dry river bed spanned by a tree. As each the children crossed it, all made it across fine, save for Katsumi who slipped and fell into the river bed. As her two "friends" stood up above snickering, Izuku slid down the side of the ditch to check on his best friend.

"Kacchan, are you okay," Izuku shouted, using his nickname for her, as he climbed down. When he got to the bottom, he jogged over and held out a hand to help Katsumi up while a smile was plastered to his face.

Katsumi looked at the hand he offered before trying to pull herself up, only to be stopped by a slight pain from her knee. "I don't need your help up, Izuku. I'm gonna be the greatest hero, and the greatest and strongest don't need help," she retorted. Still, she winced slightly as she noticed a gash on her knee.

"_Stupid Izuku. I don't need your help. I'm strong and smart enough to get myself out of here. You coming down here is just making another problem. Now you're making it look like I'm too weak and clumsy to take care of myself."_ Katsumi thought to herself.

As she pushed away Izuku's hand, he extended it out again this time saying, "It's okay Kacchan! Everyone needs a little help sometimes. Remember, even when we're both heroes, I'll be around if you need help!"

As Izuku said this, Katsumi only saw red as she thought of what some of her classmates had said about Izuku, _"He thinks I'll need help?! ME? If anyone will need help, it'll be him. The quirkless wonder who still wants to be a hero. He's just gonna get in the way of actual heroes, or put others and more importantly himself in danger… he'd just be…"_

"...useless," Katsumi muttered. "Are you joking? You being a hero? You'd just get in the way. You're useless. Not even worth being called Izuku. You're just Deku. Defenseless… worthless." Katsumi couldn't stop herself, already in an angry haze. A small part of her echoed, _"I'm sorry, I don't mean it Izuku, but this is the only way you'll get it, you need to let go of that dream or you'll just get hurt,"_ While her more prideful part plowed on.

Izuku had been stunned by his friend's words. Of all the people in the world, he hadn't expected his best friend Katsumi to turn on him too. As he was left dumbfounded by these words, she continued, "How could a quirkless nobody like you do anything? You need to give up on that dream, Deku. This is the first and last time you'll be any sort of hero without a quirk."

Izuku couldn't form any coherent response as tears began to stream down his face from his friend's berating. The only thought in his mind as Katsumi finally took his hand and pulled herself up was, _"My only dream, my only wish is to be a hero… Like All Might. I just wanted to make sure Katsumi was okay, and wasn't hurt. I'd be willing to help her with anything or take away any pain for her. Why does she have to be so mean to me?"_

Katsumi scrambled back up the riverbed, seemingly not having a problem with her injured knee, and towards her other "friends" then yelled back, "Come on useless Deku! I thought you were gonna be a big hero and keep up with us!" at which point the other two began joining in with their own jeers.

Izuku wiped away the few tears on his face, then yelled a quick, "Wait for me!" before running after them. He winced slightly as he climbed back out, not noticing the cut that was now on his knee…

* * *

As time passed, Izuku continued to follow his dream of being a hero, just like his idol All Might. One such way he carried this out was by watching news reports of Pro Heroes or their fights in person, then recording them into a notebook series he called "Hero Analysis for the Future". The information he recorded covered anything and anything about the heroes: the quirks of each pro or villain, their costumes, their fighting styles, etc. His vigorous analysis of heroes had come at a cost: an awful habit of him unwittingly mumbling about his ideas or analysis in these moments of complete concentration.

While Izuku continued his own studies to become a hero, Katsumi had continued her personal assault on him in an attempt to dissuade him from trying to go pro. She had begun much more subtly, trying to convince Izuku that the line of work wasn't a good fit for him:

* * *

While in the middle of another school lunch of being isolated and harassed by several of his classmates and Katsumi's lackeys, Izuku had finally found some free time to delve into one of his "Hero Analysis for the Future" journals.

"_Hmmmm... that #5 Hero, Mirko, is really something. From what I've seen, she takes on her foes with powerful attacks from her legs, which judging by her costume/quirk seems to be similar to that of a rabbit…"_ As Izuku's mind poured on endlessly re-analyzing the newsreel from the previous night of Mirko facing a gang of petty thieves that had hit up a high end jewelry store, he had been making sketches of the Pro Hero's outfit along with minor additions he thought would best serve her quirk.

_"Of course, if most of the power comes from her legs and goes into her feet she could change the shape of her costume's shoes/boots in order to change how that force is distributed… but then that would be hassle for getting around…"_ Izuku's mind continued in this manner for some time until a hand slammed down on the table with a large *BANG* and puff of smoke.

"Oh… hi Kacchan!" he was able to manage with a slightly strained smile, coming to the realization of the angry blonde woman above him. He sighed slightly and began mentally preparing himself for whatever she had in store for him today.

"Oi, Deku, what'd I say about calling me that! And why are you continuing these stupid Hero journals? It's not like they'd ever be of any use to you. Being the quirkless wonder and all." The dig at his lack of powers was nothing out of the ordinary, just another one-liner he'd heard her spit out before. But as usual, the nearby students and Katsumi's nearby lackeys chimed in with their own chorus of "Ooooo"s and "Oh Snap"s.

Seeing that she had gained a crowd, Katsumi's gained a vicious smile on her face as her eyes narrowed into a harsh glare directed at the young man across from her at the table. After a moment or two of staring him down only to get no reply, she became more angered, and snapped her arm across the table snatching up the journal. A protest of "hey give that back" and an attempt to lean across the table was all Izuku was able to manage before two of Katsumi's goons pinned him back in his seat across the table.

She absentmindedly flipped through eyeing the random tidbits of hero info she couldn't care about, _"why care about this useless crap about small-frys,"_ until she found the sketches of Mirko's outfit. Her first thought had been to turn the sketches into an opportunity to publicly shame him as a pervert; but, she just wanted to discourage her "old friend," not socially murder him. The more she looked at the sketches, a thought dawned on her, _"Hey… these aren't half bad…"_

She threw the journal across the table back to Izuku, at which point he grabbed it and jammed it into his backpack before closing it over and hugging it tight to himself. After "protecting" his precious journal, Izuku turned back to face Katsumi who seemed to be struggling to say something.

"You know Deku… those aren't half bad. You'll never be able to be a hundreth of the hero I am, let alone a hero at all, but you might have a skill you can put to work as a tailor or support gear designer for us real heroes." An awkward cough and the scuff of a shoe on the floor could be heard as the room had been shocked silent by what most people assumed was Katsumi's version of a compliment.

A very faint blush dusted her cheeks as she realized her uncharacteristic praise to him, prompting her to follow up with, "Or maybe if you're lucky, one day I'll let you do merch design for me!" which she punctuated with a laugh that quickly traveled around the room.

"... no..." The two underlings and Katsumi stopped laughing as they looked down at Izuku who was quietly mumbling with his head down, while his hands had curled into fists on the table.

He said it again slightly louder, "No. I want to be out there with all the other Pros, giving my one-hundred and ten percent. I-" he faltered for a second then carried on, "I'll be the All Might of our generation, a smiling heroic beacon that will tell any kid, with or without a quirk, that they can be a hero too if they really try."

As he finished, hope had surged into him causing to punctuate the last bit slightly louder than the rest, and he turned up to face Katsumi. A genuine smile radiated off his face, as determined sharp green eyes stared down her cold crimson ones.

"_It's that damned look again. When will he give up? He needs to face reality one day," _Katsumi thought to herself. With a annoyed huff, she turned and stomped away from Izuku.

* * *

Years continued to pass for the two, and soon they had reached their final year of high school. Izuku had grown to be a well built young man, pushing himself physically and mentally to make up for his lack of a quirk: He still had his messy green-black hair and hallmark freckles on his cheeks, but the small meek middle school boy had grown with time, shedding baby-fat and his timid tendencies to grow into a assertive and muscular man.

Likewise, Katsumi had gone through her own developments during this time: she had been naturally gifted with a sharp mind and impressive quirk, that with time had made her a formidable force to contend with. Despite this, she hadn't shed her fiery temper, with time instead causing her to becoming increasingly violent when it came to her problem solving. Katsumi was no longer the little girl Izuku grew up playing with: despite her incredibly fierce attitude towards others, the other major change he saw in her was when her figure filled out much more. She kept the same messy tomboy crop of blonde hair, but it was definitely becoming harder for people to refer to Katsumi as "just another one of the guys".

Nonetheless, despite these changes within each of them, the hostile dynamic Katsumi encouraged between herself and Izuku only seemed to get worse. Over their time in school, Izuku's determination to become a Pro Hero hadn't wavered. However, as they were approaching their final years of high school, Katsumi and her lackeys ramped up her abuse towards Izuku, eventually reaching a breaking point on the day that the teacher asked their class their aspirations for University life or entering the workforce:

* * *

The short balding-man who was their class' teacher coughed loudly to get the class' attention while shuffling the stack of 'career goals' sheets he had collected from the students: "Now, I know all of you have your own aspirations of anything ranging from normal college life or just jumping straight into the workforce… but I know many of you will be planning on going to the Pro Hero academies."

At this line, the classroom flared to life with students jumping up in their seats and showing off their wide variety of quirks: stretching or elongating limbs, the ability to grow scales or thorns on their body, flexing wings or extra limbs, etc.

A loud *THWACK* echoed through the room as the teacher slammed his hand on the blackboard in an attempt to quiet down the now rowdy class. "QUIET DOWN! You should all know by now that you shouldn't go wantonly flaunting your quirks in public unless necessary."

As the class calmed back down and students returned to their seats he continued, "Now, I assume many of you will attempt to go to the academies to begin your hero training, but it would seem there are those among us who think they have what it takes to go all the way… Katsumi, it seems you're planning on applying to UA?"

The teacher looked up from the papers to her as she leaned back in her chair, feet kicked up on top of the desk, "Of course I am. Everyone here knows I'm the strongest and smartest here," at which point some of the surrounding students chimed in with their mix of boos and cheers, "I wouldn't want to go to the same place as a bunch of second rates like the rest of you."

As the classroom erupted into more arguing, with Katsumi's lackeys backing her up and the rest of the class heckling her, the teacher shuffled his papers and spoke up again, "Ah, it would seem there was another one of you that wanted to go to UA… Izuku, you plan to apply too?"

The entire class broke out in uproarious laughter, that was quickly silenced by a fuming Katsumi who shot up and whipped her head to the embarrassed boy. She leapt at him with an almost animalistic snarl on her face as mini explosions rapid-fired in her clenched fists.

"WHAT?! You think you're gonna apply to UA too? It's one thing for one of these posers to want to try and fail to get in there, but you trying will just be an embarrassment to our school and yourself."

Izuku let out a breath he didn't quite realize he was holding and mentally played out the argument he foresaw coming. "I've said it before Katsumi and I'll say it again. Just because you think you're better than everyone doesn't mean you are. I **will** be getting in there, and there's nothing you or anyone else can do to stop me from trying."

The jeering of his classmates had rapidly turned to stunned silence, while Katsumi continued to fume. As she moved to grab onto Izuku's collar, the school bell for the day's end rung throwing the classroom into chaos. In the blink if an eye, Izuku had snagged his books and bag and ducked past Katsumi and out of the class.

To say she was **livid** was an understatement. A mixture of pure adrenaline and hatred pumped through her veins clouding her judgement, and with a whistle towards her groupies, they were out the door chasing down Izuku.

"_That little shit thinks he can not only be a hero, but that he's good enough to go to the college I'm going to? It's time to finally drill it into him the difference between the two of us. If he won't listen to reason or threats, it's time to teach him a physical lesson he won't soon forget."_

Within moments Katsumi's group was on Izuku's heels as he was about to leave the school's gates. Her two tag-a-longs put their arms around Izuku's shoulders and began steering him around the corner of the school building and away from any prying eyes. They gave him a hard shove into the wall, causing him to stumble and drop his bag.

"What the he-" ***THWACK*** before Izuku could even finish talking, Katsumi delivered a blast powered punch to his left ribs. He doubled over sputtering and coughing as the air was blown out of his lungs. _"I'll definitely be feeling that tomorrow" _he sorely thought to himself.

As he tried to pull himself back to his feet, one of the boys used their quirk to stretch out their arms to grab Izuku's back and slam him back to the ground. With a groan he managed to sputter out, "Why are you doing this? What'd I do to deserve this?"

Katsumi stared down at him, crimson eyes digging into his emerald ones like daggers. She nodded to one of her lackeys and muttered a, "get them," to which they replied by rifling through Izuku's backpack to gather up his Hero Journals. They handed them over to Katsumi who absentmindedly flipped through a few pages of the first one before snapping it back closed.

"Deku… we've tried the nice way to tell you. You can't and never will be a hero. But you won't listen to us... won't listen to ME… won't listen to reason. You NEED to give up on this useless dream of yours before,"

Katsumi stopped talking and took the journals in both her hands. After a few seconds of silence, she sighed and ignited an explosion between her hands charring the journals to ash, "your whole life goes up in smoke."

At this point the boy holding him down released Izuku, who promptly collapsed with hands attempting to grasp at the ashen remains of years of his hard work. He looked up, shock and anger overtaking his normally cheerful expression. "You know I've held onto the dream ever since you started bullying me when we were younger, that we'd be able to one day go back to being friends again," he shot back as he caught his breath, tears beginning to stream down his cheeks, "But I guess it's time to let that go. The old Kacchan is gone… all that's left is a husk of the hero she could have been."

Izuku rose, brushed himself off, and began to leave only to be stopped by Katsumi grabbing the back of his school blazer. He felt anger surge through him as he yelled back at her without turning around, "**STOP!** What more do you want? What more are you going to try taking from me? My life? My mother? Just leave me alone!" A sheen of forest green seemed to reflect off his eyes as he said this, and he felt the hand wordlessly leave his collar, as Katsumi mumbled to the other two "let's go".

* * *

Today seemed to be the second worst day of Izuku's life. On his way home, he decided to stop and get some sweets from the local convenience store to try cheering himself up. As he passed through the nearby underpass, he was too busy trying to decide what to eat that he didn't notice the nearby manhole that had been popped open.

Out of it oozed an a thick green and black sludge puddle that pulled itself back together. A toothy grin settled on the monstrous being's face as it saw the young man walking by. With a lightning-quick movement, it lunged towards poor Izuku and had him trapped within an instant!

"Sorry kid, but I've had a rough time trying to get away from the cops. Hiding out in you will give me a great get-away though, so stop struggling and let me take over your body!" As he said this, the slimy villain began to pour into Izuku's mouth and nose, stifling any screams he tried to let out along with his breathing.

_"So this is how it ends… huh? Being almost beaten to death by my old friend, then actually killed by a villain who wants my body… And all I wanted to do was give my best and try to be a hero like All Might… What I would give to have met him at least once…"_ As Izuku's mind became hazy and his vision started going dim, he swore he could hear the signature "I AM HERE" that was All Might's catchphrase.

As he struggled to open his eyes again, he saw the #1 hero standing before him, jumping out of the sewer in a casual white t-shirt and khaki slacks. _"Well, I guess my brain is finally dying out and I'm just hallucinating from lack of oxygen… At least it's my favorite hero I get to see before it's all over."_

As Izuku's mind began to shutdown, the "fake" All Might looked over at Izuku with shock quickly flashing across his face before he grit his teeth with determination. He began to pull back his arm, muscles tensing, before punching forward with a loud shout of, "TEXAS SMASH!"

As the punch came towards Izuku, the sludge villain that had been around him was blown back and onto the wall of the underpass. All Might surged forward and gathered the splattered pieces of the villain into an empty soda bottle he pulled from somewhere before giving a relieved sigh.

_"This must be it. I've passed on and this is all just a dream come true in my next life."_ As Izuku continued to sputter and spit up bits of the slime still in his nose and mouth, he came to the realization, he WAS in fact still alive and this WAS real life.

As he hacked up another lung of the black and green goop, All Might approached him awkwardly rubbing the back of his head, "Sorry about that citizen! I had seen this fellow rob the bank while I was out running errands and I followed him down into the sewers. I'm sorry I didn't get him in time and you had to suffer through that. I'm just glad to see you're okay!"

As Izuku finally regained his senses, he quickly dove into his backpack and dug out a pen and school notebook, "Uh, Mr. All Might sir. Could I bother you for an autograph?" Izuku mentally slapped himself, _"I have the greatest hero of this generation, if not every generation, and all I can ask for is an autograph?"_

However, as he mentally wrestled with himself, the hero gave a short chuckle and swiped up the notebook before signing a large signature across two pages. "Here you go lad! Now I must be off so that I can deliver this villain to the police!"

As All Might turned to leave the underpass, Izuku's mind was racing, _"Wait… come back. I have so much more I want to talk about. So much more I want to ask you!" _Even as his mind was racing, his body had subconsciously reacted and tried to latch onto All Might… right as the hero had began a mighty building-jumping leap.

"Kid. I like my fans as much as the next hero, but you need to let go!" The voice shook Izuku out of his thoughts as he realized he was clinging to All Might's leg as the two of them soared through the air. _"Wait when did that happen… but more importantly-"_

"No way! If I let go now I'll die!" With a sigh, the hero landed with a thud on a nearby rooftop, Izuku dropping off his leg and shakily standing back up on his own. All Might turned to the boy with a bewildered expression on his face.

"Young man, are you crazy? What could have possibly spurred you to do that? I appreciate my fans, but I really do need to get going and make sure this villain is in police custody! You can go to the rooftop access and see if someone will let you in." As he turned away to leap again, Izuku was able to regain his composure and shout out, "All Might, please wait!"

The hero sighed and turned back to face the boy to see his face was a mixture of anxiety and frayed nerves. _"I do suppose I can talk to him for a minute, seeing as it's my fault that villain harmed him,"_ the hero thought. He moved to sit on the edge of the building's roof, then patted for Izuku to sit next to him, "What can I do for you young man?"

Izuku cautiously approached the ledge and took a seat next to the hero. He took several calming breaths and tried to organize his racing thoughts, "All Might… can someone without a quirk be a hero?"

The hero in question sat stumped for a few moments, _"I suppose this boy is asking me this as he himself must be quirkless. What a terrible fate to want to help others but not have the means to…"_ After a few moments of silence with Izuku slowly gaining a downcast look, the hero replied to him, "Well I'm sure the police or fire department could use someone courageous and honest like you seem to be."

Izuku sat baffled by what seemed like a deflection of the topic by the hero and he continued again, "I'm sorry, maybe I misspoke sir, I meant, could someone quirkless be a Pro Hero. Could they grow up and become someone like you?"

Izuku stared up at the hero, his lifelong idol, as tears began to well up in his eyes. All Might sighed and absentmindedly began twiddling his thumbs as he finally addressed the boy's question, "I'm sorry young man, but the world of a Pro Hero is dangerous. No matter the risks a person would be willing to put themselves at, no matter how brave or intelligent or strong they think they are… they wouldn't be able to become a Pro Hero. That will be a dream too far out of reach for them."

The hero put a supporting hand on the young man's back, giving him a few light pats before standing back up. "I'm sorry to tell you that, but I hope it'll help you. Now, I really must be off." With another grand leap, All Might quickly hurtled off towards the horizon, leaving a mentally and emotionally shaken Izuku to break down in tears on the roof.

* * *

**A few minutes later...**

"_I'm sorry to crush your dreams like that Young Man, but there is an undeniable truth of this world: that there's an unbreakable barrier between those with quirks and those without. I hope you can learn to move past that." _All Might morosely thought to himself as he leaped from another building.

As he soared through the air, he felt a great pain in his chest, causing him to stumble mid leap and clutch his side. _"Gah, that old wound is flaring up again. I spent too much time tracking down that villain and talking to that kid. Gotta get the bottled villain to the authorities before I hit my limit."_ What the hero didn't notice was that his pockets seemed to be missing one bottle.

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

Katsumi's day had been a roller coaster of emotions she could barely process, not so much from being overwhelmed, but rather due to her choice to ignore them. Not only had Deku chosen to try to go to the same school as her (she was still fuming that he thought he had a chance of getting in or being a hero), but she was still emotionally charged from the confrontation of that afternoon.

"_Gah, shitty Deku, it's all his fault I snapped. You think I don't want to go back and be friends again? I miss those old days too, but I can't be friends with someone who deludes themself with dreams of being something they can never be."_ She turned and softly punched the wall trying to let off some steam. She quickly started to fume again when she thought of the beating she gave the young man. _"I didn't want to be pushed to the point where I had to hurt you or try personally destroying your dream, but how else are you gonna learn? I could never forgive myself if you became a hero and ended up getting hurt, or killed, because you were helpless to protect yourself."_

While the girl continued to flip back and forth between berating herself and her old friend, something struck her on the back of the head. It was a bottle full of murky dark black and green liquid. She looked around enraged trying to find where it came for before settling on spiking the bottle into the wall.

As the bottle connected with the wall, the lid popped off and the gunk exploded out of the bottle coalescing into a small pool. The sludge villain pulled himself back together, and noticed the blonde woman nearby who was too distracted to take note of him. With a lunge, he was gathered around her.

"I thought I'd be able to escape that hero with the other kid, but seems like it might be better to take a hostage instead." Katsumi's world went black as the villain covered her eyes, causing her to panic and start firing off explosions.

* * *

Izuku had been able to make his way down from on top of what seemed to be an office complex after All Might left. Luckily for him the roof-access was unlocked, and led straight into a stairwell that took him to the back exit of the building.

He had been able to pull himself together after a few minutes of quiet sobbing on the roof after All Might left, and was now slowly walking home. It was at this time he happened to see a developing news story in a nearby store-front.

"We come to you live from downtown, where a villain has taken a young woman hostage." the report continued to drone on, but Izuku had decided to block it out. _"Wait that's a few streets over maybe I could go get a few notes for more journ- oh, they're gone… right." _Izuku sat dumbstruck as he remembered the events of the day unfold again.

_"Why should I even care anymore? If the person I looked up to and respected most told me I can't be a hero, why should I waste time analyzing all these things anymore…"_ His thoughts were however interrupted by another line from the newscaster, "It seems though that the heroes can't get in close to save the girl, as the villain is channeling her explosive quirk into the surrounding buildings."

Izuku's neck snapped back to the TV, _"There's no way. It has to be someone else with a quirk just like tha-"_ his thoughts were interrupted by the image of a blonde girl with fierce crimson eyes struggling against the sludge villain. Before he even had time to think, he was sprinting around the corner towards the distant mayhem of the villain.

* * *

The street the villain had kidnapped Katsumi on looked like a warzone. Chunks of building were blown apart. Brick, mortar, and glass were strew about from shattered store fronts and apartments. As Izuku arrived at the scene, it seemed all the heroes had been pushed back to where the police had cordoned off the street. Some were still towards the edges, pushing forward trying to put out fires or help civilians, but it seemed most were ignoring the villain itself as any who tried to approach it couldn't do anything with their quirks.

_"What are they doing? They're just gonna let that villain continue to hold her hostage and destroy the city? Aren't you heroes?! DO something!"_ Yet even as Izuku tried to will the seemingly frightened heroes to help her, none would move.

"_I may be no hero, but maybe if I can at least distract the villain, Katsumi can get away…"_ As the gears in his mind began to spin, Izuku had already ducked past the police line and was sprinting towards the villain. Shocked shouts from heroes and pedestrians alike rang out, "Kid, what are you doing?! You're going to get yourself killed!"

Paying no mind to them Izuku kept running towards the villain, _"If I can help even one person today, then I'll have been the hero I always wanted to. If only I had even a fraction of All Might's strength, then I could punch an opening into this villain for Kacchan to escape."_ Even as Izuku's mind raced while he sprinted towards the villain, he didn't notice the faint green glow coming off his right arm.

"Hey you ugly snot villain," at this, the villain looked up, recognition and rage coming to life in his eyes as he realized Izuku was the boy from before, "leave my friend alone!" He shouted out, taking his backpack by one of the straps and throwing it towards the distracted villain. As it connected with the gelatinous body, rather than simply getting stuck in it or bouncing off, a small rush of wind accompanied his the bag as it punched a hole clear through the villain's sludge body. The strain and power of the throw ripped Izuku's blazer sleeve and the shirt sleeve underneath to shreds, leaving his right bicep exposed.

The villain stumbled back, and his grip loosened on Katsumi, letting her waist up go free. "Kacchan grab my hand and blast us away from here!" Izuku yelled to her. The shocked girl begrudgingly nodded and grabbed the boy's wrist with one free hand, while the other turned and blasted back towards the villain, shaking him loose from her lower half.

The two were sent flying a few feet from the villain as onlookers gasped in shock. The villain reformed the hole in his stomach and looked down at the two on the ground, "I'm not letting you get away a second time you little shit. I'll take you and that girl down, no matter what it costs!" His form surged across the ground as he moved in to grab the two of them, only to be interrupted by a strong gust of wind followed by, "I AM HERE!"

All Might had dashed through the crowd and jumped between the villain and the two young adults prone on the ground. He softly looked down at the boy he had met earlier, _"It seems I was wrong young man, I forgot what it means to truly be a hero and help those in need." _His head turned back to the villain, who had put some space between the two of them, and took on a more serious look.

"I was too clumsy today in trying to catch you, but that all ends here…" The mountain of a man drew back his arm tensing his muscles, then brought it forward into a straight punch aimed at the villain, "DETROIT SMASH!" With a sound like a cannon, a mighty wind was launched from the punch that connected with the villain and blew it to pieces. Little bits of the villain's sludge were launched onto the nearby buildings and streets.

The crowd had been completely dumbfounded by the hero who came out of nowhere and solved the problem in a single punch. As the crowds looked on, the sky began to become overcast with light rain beginning to fall and put out the fires. Murmurs arose from the onlookers, "Did you see that? He finished it in a single blow!" "More importantly he punched hard enough he changed our weather system!" And in seconds the crowd and news crews were closing in on the number one hero.

While the fans and news swarmed the hero of the hour, Katsumi and Izuku had been surrounded by the other heroes and paramedics on the scene. Within moments, their mini crowd had taken two stances: Katsumi was praised for being incredibly brave throughout the situation and for having an incredible quirk, while Izuku was berated for charging headfirst into danger that should've been left to the pros.

When they finally were let go, Katsumi was surrounded by a news crew, leaving Izuku by himself. _"I guess I should try thanking All Might for saving me twice in one day… though by the looks of it he's pretty swamped now too… maybe it's best I head home."_

* * *

Izuku had left the crime scene feeling very worn down. His school uniform was in complete disarray, partially due to the dirt and slime of the villain, and partially from the force of punching the villain. As he turned the corner of his street to his house, he found the one person he never would've expected there: All Might was standing there looking around nervously. As Izuku walked over, the hero turned around with a start.

"Ah, there you are Young Man! I had been trying to find you after all the commotion of the day." He began to nervously fidget with his hands, then bent over slightly to be on eye-level with the boy. "I had said some harsh things earlier today that were unfair to you. I was wrong to say a quirkless child could never be a hero."

Izuku could feel tears begin to well up in his eyes as he looked at his childhood idol. "You proved to me and many others out there, that the powers we have don't define our ability to be a hero. It's our courage and the strength of our hearts that drive us to help others. You should know that more than anyone else."

Izuku collapsed to his knees and began to openly sob with his face in his hands. All Might put his hand on the boy's shoulder in support, "You may not have a quirk, but you do have the makings of a hero. And I'll be damn sure to see that those qualities are nurtured."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **

_**"**Thanks to my amazing friend for helping Beta and clean up a lot of this work!_  
_If you'd like to come discuss the work, things pertaining to other works I've done, or become a beta for this work - join my discord at /xFuDyVM_

_As always, I do not own 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia, this is a fan-work:_  
_It is the work of Kōhei Horikoshi, serialized by Weekly Shōnen Jump, and animated by Bones._  
_The English release is provided by Viz Media and Funimation._

_Please Support the Official Releases."_

* * *

_Italics_ denotes an individual's thoughts

**Bold **denotes large time shifts/ or introductions of new settings; also may be used for emphasis

Line dividers denote a smaller scene or time shift

* * *

**Ch. 2:** **What it Takes to be a Hero**

Izuku had given up on trying to make any sense of the day when he found All Might standing around his house. To see his idol appear before him again, after saving him twice already during the day, had Izuku over the moon. But to hear what was said to him brought over a decade of emotions surging through him: all his repressed doubts were washed away and replaced by hope in an instant.

"Young Man, you may not have a quirk. Others may tell you that you'll never be able to make it as a hero… but you've courage and strength of heart to be one. Young Man, you've got the makings of a hero, and I'll be damned sure to see that you become one." The towering hero spouted out as the sun began to set on the two of them. Izuku could barely manage to get a word of thanks in to All Might in between his sobs of relief and joy.

A loud ***POOF*** sound was heard as Izuku began to calm down, and as he raised his head he was greeted by a complete stranger standing in All Might's place. The man looked was wearing the same outfit the hero had been wearing earlier that day, but now it seemed comically large on the strange scraggly man's frame. The stranger seemed to look like All Might, but if he was stretched by a fun-house mirror. He appeared to be extremely lanky with a slightly sunken face and long, messy blonde hair.

"Oh my, seems like my time is up." The stranger calmly said as he looked down at himself. Izuku on the other hand seemed to be on the verge of a mental breakdown _"Wait, is this All Might? Or someone pretending to be him? Or could it be a villain with a transformation quirk? Knowing my luck it would be that. But of course-"_

"-id- Kid… **KID**! Listen up to me," the fake-Might yelled at Izuku snapping him out of his thoughts, "all your muttering is gonna give me a headache." Izuku sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he realized his 'thoughts' had been a bit more vocal than he thought.

"Listen up, this is between the two of us," the man continued. He then sucked in a bit of air and with another ***POOF*** and a cloud of smoke, the street clothes filled back out to the muscular form of the number one hero. After a few seconds his face started turning a shade of red as he strained, then the lanky shell of a man returned.

" **I AM** All Might. Something happened a few years back during a fight and I got a nasty wound," he lifted up his shirt to show a purple and red mark on his chest that spread across his ribs and stomach like a spider web, "my whole stomach and parts of my respiratory system collapsed and I had to go into emergency surgery. I only have the energy to keep up my hero form for a few hours each day."

The boy couldn't believe it. _"The man who I've idolized for the last decade or so can barely hold it together. He has to deal with that incredible pain, yet he still has the strength and bravery to put on a smiling face for the rest of the world."_ It went beyond anything Izuku thought a hero would be capable of, to keep fighting after you'd already given your all.

The hero scratched his head as he searched for a comparison, "Think of it as a guy who's trying to impress people at the pool. He might suck in his gut and puff out his chest a bit too look like he's bigger and stronger. Though in my case, it helps me summon some of my old powers for a while."

Izuku could only gaze on dumbstruck at the man, until the cogs in his head began to turn. "Wait… then that means that the whole incident with the sludge villain was my fault, wasn't it? If I hadn't distracted you and bothered you with so many questions, you could've delivered him to the police." Izuku dropped to his knees and bowed before the hero, "I'm so sorry Mr. All Might. I caused so much trouble for you and everyone else today."

The hero was quiet for a moment before releasing a bellowing laugh. "Don't apologize for something like that young man. Because of this chain of events, you reminded me of something important: being a hero isn't something that happens because of the gifts we have, but rather because of the strength of a person's heart and the courage to do what's right."

All Might crouched down next to Izuku, "Tell me young man, what's your name?" Izuku lifted his head and began to pull himself up from his prostrated position, "ah, it's uh, Izuku. Izuku Midoriya."

The hero gave a small nod, then smiled and offered a hand to help the boy back to his feet. "Well then, Young Midoriya. I feel after today I owe you another signature since you lost your backpack when you threw it to that villain. And if you won't accept that, at the very least I owe an apology to your mother."

* * *

Inko Midoriya had tried to be everything for Izuku. A caring and loving mother. A supportive friend. And the first to encourage him to keep following his dream to be a hero. But when she turned on the evening news and saw her son charging headlong towards a villain, she was **terrified**. As if that alone wasn't enough of a worry, he wasn't answering his cell phone and still wasn't home.

No matter how much Inko had tried to rationalize her son becoming the hero he wanted to be, she had never imagined the possibility he would be put in danger. As she played over the scene of her son charging the villain her mind went into overdrive, _"I still haven't heard or seen from him all day. I know I should support him in doing what he wants to do… he's 18 and will be going to college for god's sake! But seeing him actually throw himself into a fight leaves me feeling scared. He's still my little baby boy to me."_

As Inko's thoughts continued to race, she heard a knock at the door. With a quick yell of, "I'll be there in a minute!" she set aside her thoughts, straightened out her flustered appearance and opened the door.

On the other side was a slightly puffy eyed Izuku, clothes torn and covered in slime. In a flash Inko had pulled her 'baby boy' - though the boy had easily half a foot in height on his mother by now - into a hug, alternating between sobs and questions. "Where have you been? How could you do this to your poor mother? Why are your clothes a mess? Why did you think you could take on a -" At which point she noticed the giant of a man behind her son.

"Oh can I help you si- Ah-Ah-ALL MIGHT?! What are you doing here?!" The hero gave a short bow and smile to the woman. "I caused some trouble for your son earlier today and would like to apologize for it." The woman smiled back and gave a nod and a modest, "please make yourself comfortable and we'll join you shortly."

As All Might settled into a comfortable position within the family's modest kitchen, Inko pulled her son off to the side of their entryway. "Care to tell me why the number 1 hero of Japan, if not the entire world, is making a house call?" The boy gave a small shrug, "I just met him outside on the street when I was walking home. He wanted to apologize to you for letting me run into danger I think?"

Inko sighed, then took a hand and reached up, delivering a strong slap to the back of her son's head, "And now that you bring that back up… that's for worrying me half to death when you threw yourself at that villain. God forbid you hurt yourself trying to save that person, you'd never leave this house again." Izuku gave a hearty sigh, then he and his mother returned to the kitchen to find All Might twiddling his thumbs.

As the two entered the room Inko received yet another surprise. All Might stood up from his chair, and prostrated himself on the floor in front of her. "I know this may not make a lot of sense to you, but I am truly sorry for my incompetence today. I vowed to protect the public, but my failures today as a hero put your son in danger, not once but twice."

Inko dropped to her knees and tried reassuring the hero before getting him to stand back up, saying that "it's not his job to protect everyone all the time" and that "Izuku had been a bit hot-headed to rush straight into there". But as her brain processed what All Might said, she turned towards Izuku, "What does he mean that you got into danger** twice**? I know about the incident with Katsumi and that slime-ball because of the news, but what was the other?"

Izuku shuffled awkwardly under his mother's gaze. "Well I maybe, might just have gottencaughtbythatsamevillainearlierintheday… and then All Might sorta saved me." He tried to spit out fast enough his mother couldn't hear. After a few seconds of thought, Inko's eyes lit up as she processed what her son said.

With a speed and strength that he wasn't even aware his mother possessed, Izuku saw the woman dash over to him before grabbing the back of his head, forcing him to bow slightly towards All Might. She bowed in a similar position before speaking again, "If anything, my trouble prone child and I should be asking your forgiveness. To be cleaning up messes he was a part of twice in one day is more than I would ever ask of you."

All Might gave a hearty laugh, causing the two Midoriyas to look at him in confusion, "On the contrary Mrs...?" he questioned.

"No it's only Ms, no more Mister in either of our lives," Inko responded.

"Ah, forgive me then, Ms. Midoriya, but helping your son today has proven to be a gift. He reminded me of what it truly means to be a hero." A small smile graced the hero's face and a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes as he remembered Midoriya's actions.

"Though he seems to not have a quirk of his own, he does have the heart of a hero. And that more than anything is what is necessary to become a Pro," the hero continued as he beamed at the mother and son. "That's why I'd like to train your boy."

"Oh that's very nice of you to sa-" Inko began, only to connect the dots of what the hero had just said, "WAIT! What do you mean you'd like to train him?!" The two Midoriyas lifted their shocked faces to see the hero's amused face.

"Exactly what it sounds like. Young Midoriya has the spirit of a hero, and seeing his brave actions earlier in the day have proven that he has what it takes to be a hero, regardless of him possessing a quirk or not." As All Might finished explaining his thought process, Izuku had taken notice that the hero's face had taken on a strained look.

_"Oh no, All Might can't hold his buff form anymore. I gotta get him out of here before mom freaks out even more,"_ Izuku thought. He grabbed ahold of the hero and began pulling him out of the kitchen, "Excuse me, Mr. All Might, you said you'd give me a signature right? Let me bring you upstairs and grab a book from my room."

However, as the boy began to pull the flagging hero away, his mother latched onto the man's other arm, "Izuku! You've made messes and problems for this poor man all day. Let him relax here while you bring it down."

"No mom, I **really** insist he comes up - " Inko cut him off as she pulled back on the hero and snapped, "Young man! This is not the way I taught you to treat guests! You're breaking your poor mother's heart!"

As their bickering continued, All Might continued to get more and more red in the face as he tried to hold himself together. The constant pulling back and forth put him over the edge, and with a ***POOF*** of smoke, the lanky, sallow-faced caricature of the hero appeared between the mother and son.

"_Well guess the cat's out of the bag now… huh…"_ Izuku grimly thought. "Hey mom, I guess I should explain to you-" Izuku was cut short by a shrill scream from his mother. She had let go of All Might's now skinny arm and had scuttled back towards the counter before making a large knife slowly float to her hand from an open drawer.

"Get away from my son this instant! What sick person uses their power to transform into the number one hero and abuse their good name?!" She spat out at the man as she shakily pointed the knife towards him.

Izuku quickly jumped between the man and his mother in an attempt to try to calm her down. "Listen, it's a bit of a weird story mom, this man **IS** All Might, he just can't keep up his super hero image or strength all the time." His mother shakily lowered the weapon back to the kitchen counter as she began to calm herself.

* * *

Several pots of tea, the reveal of All Might's injury, and a lengthy discussion later and Inko had managed to calm down slightly. It was all rather hard to take in, the whole idea of the Symbol of Peace being reduced to this scrawny shell of a man, but Inko began to understand the situation.

"My apologies Mr… All Might. It's just a lot to take in and process I suppose. Between my son being caught up in villainous activities earlier today, along with this incredible secret of yours… it's all almost too much for me to process." The woman took another sip of her tea, then sighed before placing the cup down.

The hero gave a small grin at Inko's words, "Please, call me Toshinori Yagi, or just Mr. Yagi if that's easier for you. I'm sorry for giving you such a shock; your boy Izuku had quite a similar reaction earlier. I cannot fault either of you, but I do hope you can keep this to yourselves, it's hard to be a Symbol of Peace for everyone if people know I'm not in my peak condition anymore."

The two Midoriyas gave a small affirmative nod before everyone returned for another sip of tea as an awkward silence returned to the room.

"AH! As I was saying though," Toshinori shouted out, nearly causing the family to spill their tea, "Young Midoriya had proven to me today that his dream of becoming a hero is something anyone can achieve. He inspired me so much, I'd like to see to it that he receives the training he'll need over the next few months to get into UA."

The younger Midoriya began to sputter and choke on his tea as he heard the man repeat the statement from earlier, "Wait… W-what? You don't mean you'll actually **oversee** my training? You just mean like referring me to a gym or something, right?" Toshinori leaned over to the young man and gave him a slap on the back and a hearty laugh.

"No my boy, I meant exactly what that sounded like. I'll work with you to make sure you get the intense training regime you'd need to hone your body and mind for the rigors of UA. Of course, it won't be easy. From what I gathered from our previous talk, you don't have a quirk?" This caused Inko to perk up and jump into the conversation.

"Sadly that seems to be the case. When he was younger the doctor said that he had shown the tell-tale signs of being able to develop one, but nothing ever seemed to come of that…" Inko took a shaky breath as she remembered their high emotions from that day.

"Perhaps he's just a late bloomer?" Toshinori countered in an attempt to offer a shred of hope for the family, only to receive a slow head shake from Izuku.

"I've never heard of anyone, in all my time of keeping track of heroes and villains, developing a quirk this late into their life. I'm almost an adult now… I'd guess it's too late for anything," Izuku looked at the hardwood of the kitchen with a strained smile, "but that doesn't mean I gave up on being a hero. It just means I'll have to try several times harder than those with quirks."

Inko reached over and gave the boy's hand a small squeeze as tears welled up in her eyes. "No matter what happens Izuku, I just want you to know that as long as you give it your all that I'll be proud of you."

A small cough from the other person in the room interrupted the mother-son moment. "I suppose I should get going, you'd probably like some time to yourselves to digest what happened today. However! Young Midoriya, if you truly would like to take up my tutelage offer, meet me at Dagobah Municipal Beach Park following your classes tomorrow!"

The hero stood up, shook Inko's hand with a small "thank you for your hospitality", then swelled up to his Hero form and exited the house accompanied by a rush of air.

* * *

Quiet soon descended across the Midoriya household as the mother and son were left sitting at the table without the hero. Izuku watched as his mother stood up and took the now empty tea cups without a word to the sink. After a few more moments of silence, she returned to the table where Izuku was still sitting dazed by all that had just happened. It was only after she returned that he noticed the tears streaming down her face.

"It's finally happening…" she managed to get out before the beginnings of a sob left her mouth. She leaned over and pulled her only son into a crushing hug, "I had been so upset with myself and your father for the longest time… it had seemed like a cruel twist of fate that you would want to become a hero, but we couldn't provide any abilities to help you do that… But now…"

Izuku returned the strong embrace with his mother, as he finally broke down for the second time that day, "It's only because you kept believing in me mom. Even with Katsumi and my other classmates telling me I could never do it, you were the light in that darkness that kept me going." He pulled out of the hug, and pulled his mom off him by the shoulders as a much more serious look shadowed his face.

"But just because All Might is willing to help me train doesn't mean I'll get into UA and be a hero no problem. I'll have to work harder than everyone else, and make up for all the pitfalls of being just a normal person. But that will make it even better in the long run… I'll have actually earned it!"

* * *

**The Next Day**

Katsumi had been struggling with her own emotions the previous evening. It had been quite an ordeal to have been through between being held hostage by the sludge villain, then being praised for her bravery and how strong a hero she'll be in the future with a quirk like hers.

Though, despite all this surging through her head, one event kept resurfacing in her mind: Izuku charging past the police barrier and pulling her out from the villain's clutches. A part of her swooned at the thought, _"I can't believe despite everything I had done to him, he charged headlong towards danger without a second thought and threw himself at that villain to save me…"_ But on the other hand she was still fuming at the idea, _"If anything, it shows how incompetent those other heroes were that they wouldn't even step in. It's their fault that he threw himself into danger, and even gives him the chance to think he could be a better hero than them."_

Throughout their classes, Katsumi had been staring daggers into the back of Izuku's head as she continued to fume. She had almost confronted him about it several times throughout the day. In one such case, she walked by him several times during lunch, only to pretend she was doing something else instead.

The one time she had managed to corner him between classes, she became too flustered at the thought of him pulling her from the villain and she only managed a few incoherent mumbles while holding a hand up to the side of Izuku's head to fire off a few small explosions.

Before she knew it, the school day had come to an end. Her brain still seemed fried, too distracted by random thoughts of Deku, alternating between anger and appreciation? Understanding? She couldn't quite make heads or tails of the feeling that kept bubbling up and throwing her off balance. Irregardless, by the time she realized the day had ended, she had garnered the courage to approach the boy again only to realize he was long gone.

* * *

Izuku had been barely able to focus on any of his lessons today. Despite his sharp intellect and keen focus on his studies, his mind was in a million different places thinking about his meet up with All Might in the afternoon. Before he knew it, the school day was over and he was walking through the city as his thoughts continued to overwhelm him.

"_I can't believe I'm going to receive training from the number one hero! It's like a dream come true! But wait maybe this is all just-"_ Izuku mentally cut himself off and stopped in the sidewalk to give his arm a small pinch. _"Well, as far as I can tell this is all real! Even if it is a dream, I wouldn't want to wake up before the best part."_

"_Though I do still wonder why Dagobah beach of all places… after all it's become a bit of a garbage heap after these last few years."_ He wrinkled his nose in disgust thinking of all the mountains of trash that had been washed ashore on the beach or littered by people who passed the area.

As he continued thinking, occasionally muttering to himself and earning some odd looks from bystanders, he eventually reached the beach area. Any image or memory he could conjure up paled in comparison to the horror of the area before him: beyond just the mountains of rotting garbage, there were much larger pieces of trash that littered the area. Ranging anywhere from full appliances such as refrigerators or stoves to parts of whole cars.

Without giving it a second thought Izuku shouted out, "Mr. All Might! Where are you? I came here like you asked," only realizing too late how strange this might seem to a few passerbys. Luckily only a few people heard him call out, only to realize it was just a random kid by himself.

"Sheesh kid, you might want to be a bit more careful talking like that in public. Don't want any paparazzi swarming the place," spoke a gruff voice from behind Izuku. He turned and got a glimpse of the hero descending from the sidewalk towards the beach. He seemed to be out of his puffed up hero state, and dressed in a simple gray hoodie that said "UA" along with matching gray sweatpants.

The hero flashed him a smile as he got closer, "It's good to see you here Young Midoriya, I'm excited to see how much you can achieve going forward. Though, I'd like to ask you that while we're in public, you call me Toshinori, or Mr. Yagi, or anything besides my hero alias. We don't want anyone interrupting us, right?"

"Right Mr. All - I mean Mr. Yagi." He returned the smile to the other man, but it began to droop as a question surfaced in his mind, "So I can't help but wonder… why did you choose here of all places? I would guess because no one really comes here anymore due to the garbage, but won't that make it a bit hard to train?"

"You are correct about the first part my boy. We should hopefully be left to ourselves here due to the decline of the area, but to answer your second question, I pose a question of my own," he replied with a twinkle in his eye. "What do you think it means to be a hero?"

Izuku raised a hand to his chin and adopted a more serious expression as he faced towards the ocean. _"Well obviously it'd mean giving your all for society, having the courage to stand up and help people… not only that, but to put your talents to use for the good of all, no matter what it takes."_ After ruminating on this for a few more moments, he relayed his thoughts to his new mentor.

"Yes, yes. Very good my boy. That covers most of it, at least from an ideological side. But as you seemed to be getting at, there's more to it beyond just using your powers to thwart evil and fight crime. A real hero is someone who helps and gives back to the community. That's why your training will start here." Izuku nodded along in agreement with what the man was saying, and then it began to dawn on him what the man was implying.

"Wait - you wouldn't be meaning that my training is to clean up the beach?" He managed to spit out with a shocked expression coming across his face. Toshinori gave a small laugh and slapped the young man on the back, "I'm glad to see you catch on so quickly! That's exactly what you're here for. We'll use this as the baseline for your training, to strengthen your body and mind beyond what you currently are in order to mold you into a hero!"

Izuku surveyed the mountains of garbage spread across the beach. _"Well sure I can take care of the little stuff over time, but…" _"How am I going to get all the giant things like the car parts or appliances out of here?!" He said with a hint of exasperation as he turned to the hero.

The man turned and jerked a thumb over his shoulder towards the road and sidewalk. "I have an old truck up there I use to drive around town. We can load that stuff into the back of it and I'll drop it off at a proper dump."

Izuku looked back around at the garbage around him, _"We're only a few months out from the entrance exam… I trust him and his decisions; it's really gonna push me to my limits to take care of all this before that time is up though."_ He turned back to the hero with a grin slowly spreading across his face, "Well, I guess I should get started, huh?"

The hero puffed up to his heroic form with a ***POOF*** of smoke followed by a, "That's the spirit Young Midoriya!" before quickly reverting back. "You'll have to do this alone though Young Man. You won't grow if I help you take care of this, and I'll need to conserve my energy for any problems that may arise."

Izuku gave the man a nod, then rolled up his sleeves, "Time to go beyond, just like they say at UA… PLUS ULTRA!"

* * *

**A Month Later**

Izuku had made some steady progress in his trash removal training with All Might. He'd started with a more gradual approach, easing into the problem: _"If I start with smaller trash, I can get most of that out of the way without any risk of injuring myself and slowly building up my body. By the time I get to the larger items, it'll be a bit easier to move those rather than just jumping straight into trying to move them."_

And for one long month of afterschool and weekend sessions, Izuku had made a small dent in the waste that had piled up on the beach. All Might wasn't always there to supervise the progress, usually only stopping in on days when Izuku had begun to move some larger items or to offer moral support when he didn't need to be on patrol for hero work. However, one particular moment when the hero was around, led to his absence for a few weeks:

* * *

"That's the spirit Young Man! Throw your back into it! You've already taken care of most of the minor stuff, now it's time to see if your work is paying off!" He had been yelling off from the side. He waved Izuku over to a pile of garbage he was nearby and pointed to a refrigerator against the side of the trash pile, the implication being "go on, give it a try".

With a squat, a few awkward attempts to find a good hand-hold, and a few grunts of exertion, Izuku had managed to lift the six foot tall unit off the ground. He shuffled past his mentor, awkwardly wobbling with the unit, only to put it down a few feet later. _"Damn, that's heavy… but that'd be nothing for All Might. I gotta keep going, this is no place to call it quits!"_

Izuku brought his hand up to his brow to wipe away some sweat, then turned to face his mentor and flash him a smile. As he faced the man though, he noticed that the huge pile of trash he pulled the refrigerator from had begun to lean, with a laundry machine at the top starting to slip and fall right on top of All Might.

"Mr. Yagi, watch out!" Izukuy elled from the side, but time seemed to slow as he began running towards the man, _"Damn I'm too far away, and it'll be falling too quick for me to do anything… if only I had a quirk of my own. I wish I could be fast enough to get him out of the way," _he thought desperately to himself.

As the unit tumbled off the trash pile towards his mentor, Izuku felt something surge within himself. He tried reaching towards the man, only for a flash of green light to blind him. When he could see again, he noticed he was right besides the other man who seemed to be looking up from the the trash pile towards the oven in slow motion. With an equally swift movement accompanied by another flash of green, Izuku had tackled the man out of the way as the hunk of metal slammed into the sand of the beach.

"_Man… I'm really worn out. It's really good… that I was able to get to him in time…"_ As Izuku smiled softly, his eyes fluttered closed and he blacked out.

"- An - Young Man - **YOUNG MAN!**" With a sore cheek, Izuku's eyes fluttered back open to see the buff form of All Might crouched over his body, hand close to his cheek ready to slap him again. "Thank god! I thought I lost you there!"

The boy groggily sat up and looked around to see that the sun had begun to set, "How long have I been out?" All Might pulled up his sleeve to check his watch, "About 20 or 30 mins now? I do have to say though, that was some impressive speed there. Though, I would've been able to catch that before it hit me, these old bones still have some strength in them yet."

He gave a boisterous laugh, then offered a hand to help Izuku back to his feet, "Good to see you're okay though. I think we should call it a day though, take a break and head home early today."

Izuku was about to protest only to give a loud yawn, earning another laugh from the man. "I didn't realize I was so tired. Guess it'd be better to turn in before I end up hurting myself or you by accident." He gave a wave goodbye to his mentor and began walking home.

Toshinori waved back and gave a wide smile to Izuku as he walked away; however, as he left the beach-front, he kept replaying the event in his mind, _"I'm quite positive that he was too far away from me to tackle me by the time he set that fridge down. On top of that, Young Midoriya was quite winded when he placed it down, but seemed to have no problem getting to me and tackling me. Not to mention there was that strange green flash I saw from the corner of my eye… I'll need to see if I can dig up one of the old newscasts from the sludge villain incident…"_

* * *

**Two Weeks Later**

Izuku hadn't seen any sign of All Might for the prior two weeks. Ever since he had tackled the man out from the falling debris, Izuku had been the only person to show up to the beach to continue his training. Part of him had wavered in his resolve, _"Did I do something wrong? Is All Might giving up on me?"_ yet another part of him continued to hold strong and just put it aside that the hero had been busy.

As another week had come and gone, Izuku went back to Dagobah beach early Saturday morning only to find another person there: All Might was sitting in the back of his truck, looking at something on his phone. Immediate relief surged through Izuku's mind at the sight of the man and he rushed over to greet him.

"Morning Mr. Yagi! How's it going?" he shot over to the man as a genuine smile graced his face. The hero looked up from his phone and returned the expression before he patted the open space next to him.

"Take a seat, Izuku. I have a question and some potential good news for you." The younger man took on a questioning look on his face, but turned and hopped up on the tailgate of the truck next to him. The hero picked up his phone and held it out between the two of them to show a paused video from one of the city's newscasts during the sludge villain's kidnapping of Katsumi.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around to help or support you for the last while," Izuku began to cut in and say that it was not a problem, only to be stopped by the man's outstretched hand, "but something struck me as odd from the last time I was here. I wanted to be completely sure about my hunch before I approached you though."

He pointed back towards the phone with the video still paused, "What do you remember about this day?" Izuku tried to recall as much as he could from the fateful day that he had run into All Might, and been first told by someone besides his mother he could be a hero.

"Well, I had been headed home from the office building that you left me on top of," which earned Izuku a short mumbled 'sorry' from the hero who was nervously scratching the back of his head, "then I had passed by a storefront that had that sludge villain on the news."

"At first I was gonna just keep going home and ignore the whole thing, but then I saw that the person he had captured was my childhood friend." Izuku thought of the whole moment again, as time slowed and his body instinctively ran to help her, "I'm not quite sure what came over me, but I ran as fast as I could to where they were. I wanted to help her more than anything in that moment."

"Then when I got there, I ducked past the police cordon, and distracted the villain long enough for my friend to pull herself free I think? The last bit is a little hazy." He sheepishly said while scratching his cheek. The other man absorbed everything he said, then gave a small nod, "Much of that sounds right, but watch this quick to see if it jogs anything else from your memory."

As he hit play on the video, the newscast picked up, switching from its focus on the news anchor reporting the scene, to a flash of black and green that pushed through the crowd. Someone in the crowd gave a shout of "what's that kid doing" and the cameraman and anchor shoved forward to refocus on the young man with messy green hair who was approaching the villain. A couple words were yelled towards the villain that they couldn't make out, but this was quickly followed by the man taking off his backpack and hurling it at the villain, then running forward and grabbing the hostage's arm to pull her free.

All Might turned and watched Izuku's face, trying to see if there was any reaction at all to the video, "Notice anything else?" Izuku stared at the scene almost transfixed, but after the video ended he shook his head 'no'.

The hero rewound the video to the moment that the camera refocused on him standing in front of the villain. He played forward a few seconds to the point Izuku took off his bag and began to throw it at the villain before hitting pause again. He asked Izuku again, "Now do you notice anything?"

He allowed his eyes to roam the video again, before he finally landed on the arm holding onto the backpack strap. The sleeve of that shirt had been ripped to shreds, when it had previously been whole seconds ago, and exposed a far more muscular version of his arm that was covered by a faint green light.

He looked back at the hero a confused look on his face. Toshinori put the phone down, then placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder. He stared directly into his eyes, a gentle smile gracing his face as he slowly said, "Izuku, my dear boy. It seems you do in fact have a quirk."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**_ "Thanks to my amazing friend for helping Beta and clean up a lot of this work, without you this wouldn't be anywhere near the level it's at now!  
If you'd like to come discuss the work, things pertaining to other works I've done, or become a beta for this work - join my discord at /xFuDyVM_

_As always, I do not own 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia, this is a fan-work:  
It is the work of Kōhei Horikoshi, serialized by Weekly Shōnen Jump, and animated by Bones.  
The English release is provided by Viz Media and Funimation._

_Please Support the Official Releases."_

* * *

_Italics_ denotes an individual's thoughts

**Bold **denotes large time shifts/ or introductions of new settings; also may be used for emphasis

Line dividers denote a smaller scene or time shift

* * *

**Ch. 3:** **Making Up for Lost Time**

As the sun began to peek out from behind the city's skyline, the beachfront was bathed in the golden dawn of a new day. It is here we find Izuku sitting side by side with All Might on the tailgate of his truck. The boy had a dumbfounded look on his face, while the older man had his hand on his shoulder and a gentle smile on his face.

"E-excuse me, I think I misheard you… can you repeat that again?" Izuku said to the hero. All Might sighed and put the phone back into his pocket, then turned back to the boy at his side.

"Again, it was just a hunch, but after watching that video another time I'm sure of it," the hero held his chin in thought and nodded his head sagely, "I'm fairly confident by now that you do have a quirk. It might be something like physical enhancement, seeing as you were able to throw that backpack at the villain with a bit extra oomf behind it. Then there's also you moving at incredible speed to shove me out of the way of the falling trash a while ago."

Izuku sat in stunned silence as the man laid out his evidence, _"In the moment, it seemed so natural like a surge of adrenaline or something. But I suppose he's right, you can't just have strength like that from nowhere. And on top of that there was the weird green haze or light that news crew got."_

All Might interrupted his thoughts with another question, "Is there any other time you could think of where something like that has happened?" The boy stared blankly out at the waves breaking on the beach as he tried to comb through years of his memories.

"It's… it's hard to think of any. For so long I've been thinking I had no quirk, but now I have to second guess years of my life as I have to think of whether something was myself or just a power I never knew I had…" he crossed his arms and furrowed his brow as he continued his ruminations, "I suppose there were times when I had injuries I couldn't remember. There were other times when I was bullied that I would lash back at them and they would immediately stop… though I don't know if that'd be anything special."

Toshinori looked at the boy beside him and put a reassuring hand back on his shoulder, "I think the best course of action going forward would be to continue our original plan to have you clean the beach as your training."

Izuku's face flashed with disappointment quickly, then he gave an affirmative nod, "You're right. I already was behind everyone else who'd be taking the entrance exam before when I thought I had no powers. Even if I have a quirk to help me, I have years of not using it I have to make up for." The boy jumped down off the tailgate and started moving down towards the beach. As he went to grab another large piece of scrap metal to haul back up to the truck, he was stopped by Toshinori's outstretched hand.

"I know you're eager to keep up your hard work, but I want to take a different approach today." Izuku lowered his hands from the pile and stared inquisitively at his mentor. "It is true that you are behind many others in their quirk usage; and, that's why I want us to try making up for some of that lost time today. We're going to try some tests to see if we can figure out a bit more about your quirk."

Izuku's face immediately brightened at the idea, and he practically bounced on his feet in front of his mentor. "Of course we're going to try taking it easy to start, as I'd guess based on the day you collapsed that however your quirk works, you ended up using too much energy and it caused a whiplash."

"Now, we're gonna start with something simple, we're going to take something that's just a bit too heavy for you to comfortably hold." All Might turned and surveyed the junk piles, until something he saw got him to respond with a small "ah". In a ***POOF*** he had changed into his muscled form, dashed over to a large scrap metal pile, and pulled out what seemed to be an old vending machine. He brought it before Izuku, placed it down, transformed back, and pulled out his phone to begin recording the exercise.

"Young Midoriya, this should be slightly heavier than some of the other things you've recently been hauling off the beach, so go ahead and try to lift it." Izuku gave the man an incredulous look, then went over to the hunk of metal, squatted and planted his arms firmly underneath it, and gave a strained pull. After a couple seconds of huffing and puffing, he got the large machine off the ground a few inches, then took a couple steps before he dropped it with a loud gasp.

"Mr. Yagi. This is too heavy. I'll be able to move it, but it will take some time." He gave an exasperated sigh and rubbed his sore arms. His mentor looked down on the boy, a slightly amused look on his face as he too sighed.

"I didn't grab it for you because I thought you could move it easily. This will be our first test."

Izuku looked up at his mentor as Toshinori continued, "I want you to remember the day you saved your friend from that sludge villain, or even two weeks ago when you tackled me out of the way. Try to remember that feeling, then try to channel that into lifting this hunk of metal."

Izuku briefly thought back to the time he wanted to help Katsumi, _"It was instinct more than anything. I just wanted to help her and my body sort of moved by itself."_ He then turned back towards the vending machine and squated back down next to it. After a few seconds of focus, he wrapped his arms back around it as best as he could and lifted it… only to collapse again after a few steps.

He gave the unit a frustrated kick then turned back to his mentor, "I'm not really getting anything here. It's just the same as before. I don't really **feel** anything, besides frustration." Toshinori stopped recording on the phone, then approached the young man.

"That's fine Young Midoriya. This won't be easy, you have to learn how to use a whole part of yourself that you've been blind to this entire time. It won't be something you master in a day." He sat down on the beach and patted beside himself for Izuku to sit.

Once Izuku was beside him he began to speak again, "Let me try giving you an example of how I get the strength to use my quirk nowadays. Close your eyes for me real quick." Izuku turned to look at Toshinori's face to see if he was serious, but saw his mentor's eyes were already closed. After a short shrug, he followed suit.

"Now, imagine a family in a burning apartment. Or a villain holding a bank hostage. You are one of the few that can actually do something about it and help those people; but, now I want you to imagine that anytime you do something to help those people, your own body is fighting you along the way."

Toshinori's voice trailed off, then paused for a few seconds, "You have to find the will to push through that. You have to have the strength of heart and mind to overcome that barrier. For me, that means I want to continue to be the Symbol of Peace for the world. Give everyone hope. By focusing on that idea I have the strength to draw on my quirk. It's my focus to keep me grounded when I don't feel like I have the control or strength to maintain my heroic form."

Izuku opened his eyes to see that his mentor still had his own closed, but that a few tears had escaped down his cheeks. He closed his eyes again and reconsidered his own recent past, keeping in mind what his mentor had said to him. _"I didn't consider hard enough what had really propelled me in when I had saved Katsumi or All Might… it was a desire to overcome my hopelessness. I thought I didn't have any special powers or strength of my own, so I had wished that I could have at least a fraction of the strength to save Katsumi; or in the case of All Might, I wished that I had the speed to get him out of the way."_

His eyes snapped back open with realization. Izuku got up and moved back towards the vending machine as his mind put the pieces together, _"It all came from a desire or wish to help someone in a specific way."_ He crouched back down next to it and began to get a handhold. _"I want… no I __**need**__ the strength to move this. If I can't even do this, how will I prove to everyone else I can carry my own weight as a hero?"_

As his thoughts concluded, he clenched his teeth and lifted the machine… it was light. Incredibly so, almost as if he wasn't even carrying something. He began to lift it higher. It was soon past his waist, and then hefted onto his shoulder. Rather than feeling like a massive hunk of metal on his shoulder, there was only some minor discomfort like he was carrying a bag on one arm.

Izuku took a step with the hunk of metal on his shoulder, then another. Soon he was up from the beach and placing it into the trunk of All Might's truck. He turned with a smile back towards his mentor then sprinted down the beach towards him, his head full of euphoric thoughts, _"I can't believe it, this is amazing! What else could I do? Could I enhance how fast I move? Or how high I jump? Or my density?"_

He was interrupted by the hero waving a hand in his face, "Hello! Earth to Young Midoriya! Those are all excellent questions, but remember to take it easy. We don't know the limits of your quirk yet." Even as the hero said this, Izuku began to feel incredibly sapped of his strength, his arms and legs began to shake and he fell back onto the sand with a thud.

In a second, All Might was beside him, "Are you alright? Are you still conscious? Are you-" his stream of concerned questions was cut short by a long laugh from Izuku. He looked back up at the hero and offered a strained smile.

"I feel awful across my whole body. My muscles are on fire and it feels like I can barely move. It feels like whiplash from lifting that hunk of junk. Instead of feeling anything in the moment, it's like it all came crashing back down on me after the fact." He slowly lifted up his right hand, now curled in a fist, towards the sky. "But it's worth the pain. I can do it. This is **my** power. This is **ME**. I have to learn how to get this under control, or at least how it works before the entrance exam comes."

Toshinori offered the boy an arm to grab and pulled him back to his feet. After a few shaky steps, Izuku was able to stand more or less by himself. _"Young Man, you continue to amaze me every time I see you. Truly, you will be a worthy successor. But it would be best you come to understand yourself and your own quirk before I burden you with something else."_

As Toshinori was snapped out of his thought by a re-energized Izuku who was rambling on about all the possibilities of what he wanted to try to use his quirk for, he was reminded of the video he took. "Ah, Young Midoriya, come look at this for a moment." The boy was snapped back to reality by this and stood beside the hero looking at his phone:

* * *

The video in question showed a shot from the side as Izuku bent over to grab the vending machine the third time. As he was getting a grip on it, his face progressed from intense concentration to complete calm. A soft green haze covered his body, which slowly migrated to his arms and back. As it did, his arms seemed to rapidly grow larger as muscle mass increased in his biceps and forearms.

After a few seconds the haze was much less pronounced but the changes to his physique stayed, and he effortlessly lifted the machine up from the ground and brought it up to rest on his shoulder. And just as easily Izuku bounded up the beach to All Might's truck, before lightly dropping the machine into the trunk. He then bounded back down towards where he came from.

At this point, the green haze seemed to come back out of his arms, shrinking the muscles back to their normal form. It then spread all across his body and dissipated, at which point Izuku began to shake and then collapsed.

* * *

The two men stared at the screen after the video ended. Izuku broke the silence by turning to his mentor with a smile crossing his face, "I'm not too worn down yet… so let's do that again!"

* * *

**About a Month Later**

Under careful supervision from All Might, Izuku had made some strides in uncovering what his quirk was capable of. As time had passed, it became apparent that he was at least able to change his own physical makeup, but that it would cause a certain degree of fatigue after he let the "bulk up" dissipate. With practice, he had long passed the intense crashes and fatigue that seemed to be the "cost" of using these bursts of strength; but continued use or buildup of this power still led to strain.

It had been about three months since Izuku had begun to train under All Might, and the beach had been half-cleared of the garbage already. By this point in time, the task had become much easier through using his quirk to enhance his strength and movement. It appeared that Izuku would actually finish up the clean up far ahead of the original deadline he had made.

In response to this, All Might made a proposition, "You've done well Young Midoriya. You've progressed far faster than I thought you would, so I would like to take another break to focus on your quirk again. You seem to have a decent understanding of your limits, but I want to try addressing the breadth of what you can do with it." The hero nodded sagely and turned his head to pan his view across the cleaned portion of the beach.

"I've given it some thought, and I'm sure you have too, but you likely can do more than just enhance yourself. The only way to find what all that entails is to just try different things." Toshinori then said to Izuku.

He nodded back in response and looked out at the waves washing up on the beach, then took off towards them. He turned back towards All Might and gave a shout, "I have an idea I'd like to try out, but please be ready in case it backfires." The hero gave him a thumbs up as he sweatdropped in exasperation.

As Izuku came closer to the water's edge he took off his shoes and socks, then placed them neatly to the side. He focused and took a deep breath and as stabilized himself and tried to clear his mind. He took a shaky step towards the water... and sunk in to his ankle. He took another deep breath, concentrated, and then stepped out again… this time, his foot was flush with the surface of the water.

"_This is so weird," _Izuku thought to himself,_ "I can __**feel **__the cold rush of the sea against the sole of my foot; but, it's like I'm standing on something that's constantly shifting... like jello."_ His balance stumbled as his foot met the odd sensation; and, then moved his other foot in front of him so that both were on top of sea's surface.

"_I also feel… really light. Almost weightless. It's like I'm floating more so than walking on this."_ He took a look down at his feet to see that they had the same green haze that covered his body when he was enhancing his muscles. He turned back and flashed an enthusiastic smile and wave to his mentor, who quickly returned them.

Izuku took a step. Then another. Walking turned to a light jog. And jogging soon became sprinting. The boy was soon out of deeper water, still standing above it all as if he was on solid ground. He let out a hearty laugh, _"This is amazing! I can't wait to tell All Might about this! I wonder what else I can do -" _a sound of rushing water caught him off guard causing him to turn. Behind him was a tall wave, about five meters and growing.

He could faintly make out All Might yelling "run" from the shore. Before the boy could even react though, the wave smashed into him, knocking him off his feet and pulling him beneath the water.

The shock of the moment left Izuku dazed as he drifted down. The sudden impact of the wave into him knocked the air completely out of him, leaving him floundering and trying to claw his way back to the surface. As the last remnants of oxygen left his lungs, he felt the inescapable need to take a breath leading to a lungful of seawater taking its place.

His vision began to cut to black as he choked on the salty sea-water. _"I-it can't end like this. I-I just need to get another breath of air, any amount of oxygen to keep me going and get back to the surface."_ As his consciousness faded, a flash of green light surrounded him as he drifted down about three meters to the sea-floor.

* * *

Toshinori had been incredibly impressed with his protege progress. Izuku had proven himself to be an extremely clever and hard-working young man: his ability to continue working past fatigue and natural limits was one thing to behold, but seeing the boy approach some of the problems Toshinori had presented to him was another thing altogether.

Currently, he was beholding one such situation. When he had said to the boy he thought he could do more than the super speed or strength he was exhibiting the last few weeks of training, Toshinori was thinking more along the lines of jumping incredible distances or softening blows.

To see Izuku start walking on water… Toshinori was reminded once again of Izuku's commitment to becoming a hero. _"Outstanding. I can't think of any other word to describe Young Midoriya. Any challenge placed before him, he's able to obliterate. I thought it would be due to his determination, but this boy has the capacity for so much more than I could even consider." _

Toshinori was snapped back out of his thoughts by the melodic sound of Izuku's laughter as the young man ran out further on the ocean. He turned back and gave a smile and wave to the older man, who returned the gesture. He smiled fondly at the young man who just seemed thrilled to be alive, _"I'm glad to see that Young Midoriya is enjoying this. He deserves it after going for so long not knowing he had a quirk. This must be such a wonderful time for -" _his thoughts trailed as he saw movement surge on the horizon of the sea.

Behind Izuku a large wave was moving slowly in, gaining another meter in height as it steadily rolled towards the clueless boy. "Young Man, behind you! You need to **run**!" the hero bellowed out. But he seemed to be completely ignorant of what was coming.

From All Might's perspective, it all seemed to be happening in slow motion: he was running down towards the shoreline, hand outstretched as he continued to yell warnings as his throat became raw. Meanwhile, the wave had slammed into Izuku, seemingly knocking him out and dragging him beneath the water.

"**YOUNG MIDORIYA!**" With a yell, All Might puffed back up to his heroic form and dived off the shore into the water. With several powerful strokes, the hero was about where he had seen his protege get dragged beneath the waves. He took a deep breath and surface dived, eyes opening to the sting of the salt water as he searched for his young ward.

Several seconds later, the hero spotted the boy down a few meters among the rocks and sand of the bottom of the bay. The boy seemed to be passed out, but a translucent green dome-like structure surrounded him. With a sense of urgency kicking in, All Might swam down to the structure, pushing through the bubble, only to fall with a thud next to Izuku.

It seemed that the dome around him was actually an air pocket around the boy. As Toshinori grabbed the younger man under one arm, he considered how he would get them back to the beach. He took a step forward towards the exit of the air bubble, and the entire thing seemed to shift with them.

"_Amazing… Young Midoriya, it seems like I was wrong about your quirk. There's much more to it, and you, than I thought."_ The hero continued slowly following the sloping seafloor back to the beach, the air bubble giving him and Izuku protection from the water.

As he finally emerged from underneath the surf to the shoreline, the green bubble disappeared with a pop, and he collapsed to the ground with Izuku. All Might placed the younger man on his back in the sand, then deflated back to his normal form.

* * *

Izuku could feel something shaking him vigorously, then slowly heard someone begin calling out to him. "-ung Mid... oung Midor... **YOUNG MIDORIYA**," the loud call of his name and the more rough shaking got Izuku to cough heavily before slowly opening his eyes. He found himself face to face with his mentor whose clothes appeared to be soaked and sticking to his wiry frame.

The man pulled Izuku up from his reclined position on the sand into a hug, which he slowly returned. "Young Man, thank god you're okay! I thought I'd lost you there… again." The hero seemed to be talking a mile a minute, and Izuku could only catch pieces of what was being said to him as his lungs continued to empty of the bit of water he swallowed. As he continued to recover, his mind tried to piece back together what had happened.

"_I-I had been testing out another way to use my quirk when something hit me… The last thing I remember was drifting underwater before it all went black."_ Izuku could still vaguely hear his mentor talking to him, but his attention was drawn back to the man when he retracted from the hug and held the boy out from him by his shoulders. He held up a finger on his hand in front of Izuku's face.

"I want you to follow my finger, just make sure there's nothing awful going on from you passing out and almost drowning." Izuku nodded absentmindedly and followed the man's movements slowly.

"Good. seems like you at least on the surface are fine, though it wouldn't hurt to stop at an actual clinic on the way home." As All Might said this, the boy's mind caught on to what the hero had just said to him. A look of shock crossed Izuku's pale face as he looked at the man before him.

"Wait, I almost drowned?! Last I remember I was just running across the sea." A look of concern crossed the hero's face as his eyes met Izuku's.

"You were, Young Midoriya, and it was quite the sight to behold. However, a wave caught you off guard, and as far as I can tell knocked the wind out of you before pulling you under the water. I tried to warn you but you were too far out..." He trailed off quietly before continuing, "I jumped into action and swam out to grab you, but you had already sunken by that point."

A strange look of contemplation crossed over the hero's face as he paused again. "When I dived down to grab you though, it was strange… there seemed to be this sphere of air around you. When I went to grab you, it was as if I was above the sea... it was a breathable space that had formed around you. As I carried you out of the sea, the sphere moved with us, until we got back to the beach."

Izuku looked at the hero dumbfounded, "Wait, so what does that mean then? Are you saying I created it?" His mentor looked into his eyes with a thoughtful expression.

"I'm not quite sure, it's hard to say since before I thought your quirk was a body enhancement one? But that bubble appeared to be the same green as the haze that comes from usage of your quirk." He helped Izuku up to his feet and gave him a shoulder to lean on as he tried to find his balance.

Izuku looked down at the ground as a shadow crossed his face, "I-I thought I had this under control. That I understood what I could do… But I guess I really am years behind everyone in knowing how to use my quirk." His face remained crestfallen until his mentor gave him a squeeze with the arm he was using to support the boy.

All Might looked down at Izuku beside him, "That may be true, but you have the determination to make up for that. You knew it wasn't going to be easy from the start, but being a hero never is."

Toshinori gave a small laugh and gave the boy beside him a small shake by his shoulder, "I think that's enough excitement for one day. Let's get dried off and call it there. It's time we re-workshop our ideas of what you can do."


	4. Chapter 4

_Italics_ denotes an individual's thoughts

**Bold **denotes large time shifts/ or introductions of new settings; also may be used for emphasis

Line dividers denote a smaller scene or time shift

* * *

**Ch. 4:** **Clarity**

"Stop that thief," a shrill voice hollered from across the coffee shop Izuku had been sitting at. He looked up to see a distressed and disheveled shopkeep leaving an electronics store across the street, in pursuit of what seemed to be an incredibly stretched out man holding a mixture of TVs, cellphones, and the cash register. The shop owner seemed to try to shoot some small sparks of electricity from their fingertips towards the burglar, but the petty thief's body seemed to stretch and contort out of shape from the blast.

Izuku pulled out his current journal, "Hero Analysis for the Future #14", from his pocket then looked around to see if any nearby heroes would leap into action. After a few seconds of waiting, with the criminal continuing to make a mad dash down the street, Izuku sighed.

"_I know I promised Mr. Yagi I wouldn't do anything to dangerous… and technically I'm not legally allowed to do any hero work… but…" _He put the journal back in his pocket, took a final sip from his coffee, then left the payment for it on the table. With a groan and stretch, he surged power into his leg muscles and took off after the thief.

* * *

**Some Time Earlier**

Another week had passed since Izuku's brush with death. While Izuku had wanted to continue to clear the beach of its debris, Toshinori had been much stricter about what Izuku could try doing with his quirk. The hero firmly suggested to Izuku that he run any other wild ideas by him before he ended up in another accident; but, more importantly he wanted the young rising hero to not wear himself out with too much training.

Following the last incident, Toshinori and the boy had gone to a clinic that afternoon. Although the doctor chewed Izuku out for what he and Toshinori had described as reckless "swimming practice", it seemed the young man wouldn't suffer any permanent damages. Though the doctor advised Izuku to take it easy for a bit, and save any strenuous activity or strange exercises for when his body had recovered.

After a mixture of the insistence of his doctor, but more importantly his personal hero and mentor, Izuku had given in promised to take the week off from training. _"I suppose they're right... if I can't take it easy and keep my body in a healthy condition, it may create a more difficult problem I could've avoided in the first place,"_ he glumly thought to himself.

The past week really showed Izuku how much of his free time over the last few months he had spent in training. Having that time to himself to be lazy after classes or on the weekend was a foreign concept.

The week had begun with him sitting in his room watching newscasts on recent hero activity, but after a while Izuku began to become worn down by the same routine every afternoon. After a week of him locking into this behavior, his mother had enough.

"Izuku, I know it's tough to want to get out there and work towards your dream, but you have to find something else to do. Watching you rot away in your room is making me feel melancholic too." Inko said from the doorway to Izuku's room. The boy turned back to his mother, a look of annoyance and a hint of anger crossed on his face.

"I wish it was that easy! I haven't done something in my free time in so long I don't even know what to do!" The boy snapped back at his mother. A look of shock graced Inko's face. Realizing what he had done, her son looked at the ground and quietly gave a small "sorry".

With a huff, Inko Midoriya then went into the next room, reached into her purse, and returned with some money she dropped on Izuku's desk, "Here, go out. Get some food, a coffee, or a new piece of hero merchandise… just go enjoy some of the day and relax." After that, she left the room.

Izuku looked down at the money, then sighed and got up from his desk. He went over to his closet and picked out a hoodie stylized to mimic All Might's costume. With his ensemble on, he returned to the desk, scooped up the cash, and made his way out of the house.

* * *

Izuku had taken off in a sprint, hoping the muscle enhancements he had focused into his legs would be enough to catch up to the villain. As he got closer, he could see that the man in question was a middle-aged man that appeared to be dressed up in the suit of a regular salaryman. The odd thing about the man however was his limbs: his legs had stretched out, allowing each step to cover around 2 or 3 meters, while his arms seemed to be equally long.

Izuku could see as the man ran down the street ahead of him, his arms would stretch to passerbys, grab a purse or shopping bag, twist part of his arm around it to hold onto the stolen treasure, then move onto the next victim. _"His quirk must be some sort of elasticity for his body? Considering how he contorted his torso too when the shopkeep tried to blast him, I should probably go for his torso."_ Izuku thought.

Izuku began to focus his energy into his legs once again, in an attempt to leap at the thief and try to pin him, and with a grunt of effort he threw himself toward the villain. As the young man's arms stretched out to grasp at the man, the thief's body suddenly jerked to the side. Izuku's momentum carried him forward and under the left armpit of the villain, then crashing into a lamp-post further down the street.

He turned back towards where the villain was to see him seemingly being dragged back down the street by his arm. As Izuku stared at the scene dumbfounded, he was finally able to notice something odd among all the jumbled up items that the thief had taken. Somewhere within the knotted mess that the man's arm had turned into, there was a purse that had a hand still gripping it. Even odder was the fact that the hand seemed to be tugging the purse, and in turn the villain, back down the street.

After shaking off his initial confusion at the sight, Izuku stood back up and channeled his energy once again into his legs and took another leap at the man. With the villain too preoccupied trying to stretch out his arm and drop the force pulling him backwards, Izuku pulled his fist back and suckerpunched the man in his gut… as the fist connected, the man's stomach seemed to recoil back with the punch, simply collapsing in.

"_Damn, I guess this guy is rubber everything. I can't just hit him and expect him to fall over." _Izuku thought to himself as he grimaced.

The villain turned back to face Izuku, and gave a cackling laugh, "Gonna take a bit more than that to stop me!" The man's torso contorted once again and started wrapping around the arm Izuku had punched him with. Within seconds, Izuku's arm was entrapped by the man, no amount of enforcement to his muscles or tugging able to get it to come free.

The thief's neck stretched and he looked Izuku in the eyes with a menacing smile on his face, "Thanks son. You're gonna make a great hostage for me to get away if any pros show up." Izuku tried to swing his free arm at the smug man's face only for the neck to retract back to its original place. The movement was enough though for Izuku's field of vision to open up slightly more, allowing him to see a rapidly approaching flash of green and purple from behind the man.

"GIVE ME BACK MY PURSE YOU SON OF A BITCH!" rang out a voice from behind the villain. The man turned to face the person who said this, only to be slammed in the back by purple figure. The villain recoiled slightly out of surprise, allowing the person to steady themselves on the street next to the villain.

Izuku could barely make out the shape of a woman on the other side of the villain holding him: his slightly blocked view only allowed him to see shoulder length green hair and parts of a deep purple dress. The figure was then covered up again by the shifting of the villain's body as he moved towards her.

Izuku gave a short shout of warning to her, "Watch out! If you get to close, he'll trap you like he did with me!" But the words seemed to come too late. The villain launched his spindly arms at the woman and wrapped her up. Izuku was able to get a better view of her as the villain reeled his arms back in towards his body: she had wavy green hair that framed her face, with sharp dark green eyes. She had something akin to a snarl on her face, exposing jagged, knife-like teeth.

"Two free human shields huh? This must be my lucky day!" The villain gave a bellowing laugh as he continued to pull the woman closer, "Then again, you have a nice figure… maybe I'll have my fun with you later."

Izuku's looked down towards the street as his mind raced to find a way out of the situation both he and this new woman were trapped in. _"Maybe I can try forcing my body to become sharper and see if this guy will drop me? Or maybe I can make myself heavier and weigh him down too? Or I could-"_

He was cut short by a shout of confusion by the villain though. Bringing his gaze back up to the arms that were wrapped around the woman, he found himself greeted to an odd sight: her torso was floating above the villain's hands, but at about the waist it looked like she had been cleanly cut in half. Below the villain's arms, Izuku could see the woman's hips and legs falling to the ground. He blushed slightly as he realized that the only things covering the woman's lower half on the ground were a pair of black leather boots on her feet and the dark purple panties on her waist.

"Sorry, but I think I'll have to turn you down on that offer. I'm not really into guys who have to sponge off others," The woman snarkily shot at the thief. As she spat back at the theif, her lower half floated back over to the upper part of her body. Her lower half floated back under her purple dress, then after a second seemed to rejoin her torso. She wiggled her waist back and forth, as if to make sure that the connection was right, then stared back at the villain.

"Now, I'd appreciate if you could give me my purse back." She pointed at the villain with what appeared to be a stump of an arm, it being cleanly severed slightly below where her wrist would've been. She then flashed a jagged smile at Izuku, "And him too I guess."

"_Ah, I think I get it now, she has a quirk that lets her body separate into different parts. Which means…"_ Izuku looked from the woman back to the hand that was holding onto the purse the villain stole, _"that that's hers. That makes a lot more sense now."_

The villain snarled at the woman, then launched his stretching arms towards her again. Every time it seemed he would be in her grasp, her body would break apart: in an instant, her head or arm would float away from her body to avoid the constricting grasp of the villain, only to float back to her body at which point she'd try punching or kicking the man.

"_I would guess she can't keep this up forever. She might have a limit on how much she can do that before she wears down and gets caught… I have to do something to help."_ Izuku's thoughts raced as he continued to try and wrest his body from the villain's grasp.

"_Think damnit… Rubber is able to expand and contract easily… making it colder will make it easier to stretch rubber, and therefore this guy. If I could alter the temperature of the surroundings, maybe I could loosen up his grip on me."_ Izuku's racing thoughts faltered for a second as he looked out at the scene before him, _"Could I do that? Altering my muscle density for strength is one thing… but it can't be any worse than not trying, right?"_

Izuku took as deep a breath as he could manage in the elastic villain's crushing grip, then focused his mind to a singular thought, _"I want to make this man and the area around me cold. Very cold."_ He then breathed back out, a small visible puff of green steam accompanying the act. After a few seconds, the steam came over his body similar to the green haze he had attributed to his quirk.

As he looked at the elastic villain's body, the points he was in contact with Izuku seemed to be developing a small sheet of frost across them. Slowly but surely, the villain's grip began to loosen as his body automatically began to stretch in response to the freezing temperatures. Izuku began to shift his trapped arm, before grabbing it with his free arm and slowly pulling.

It began to slide free of the villain's confines sluggishly. As he was about half way out of the knot, the villain turned from the woman he had been trying to grab back towards Izuku. "Where do you think you're going!" he shouted before trying to wrap an arm around Izuku. As he made contact with the haze on Izuku's body, ice crystals began to form quickly on his arm causing him to recoil.

As the ice continued to form around Izuku's trapped arm, and now on the arm that the villain lashed at him with, Izuku felt his body slowly start heating up. It transitioned from a mild "discomfort of summer to heat" to something more along the lines of "fever-like heat".

Izuku could feel his strength waver slightly as the heat began to bother him further, leading to him frantically pulling his stuck arm. With a loud ***CRACK*** the ice that formed around his arm gave way and he was able to pull himself free from the villain. As he tumbled backwards he leapt back to his feet and crouched into what he would guess was a fighting stance.

In the distance, police sirens could be heard slowly approaching the scene, causing the villain to grimace even further. "Screw you two, I'm out of here," he shouted at Izuku and the woman before turning and trying to stretch himself towards a nearby alleyway. As Izuku saw him twist away, he saw an object zip past him and hit the villain. The woman had separated her other arm and it had latched onto the villain's left leg. It seemed like with some strain, she was slowing him down and slowly pulling at least the man's limb back towards them.

The villain, now more than slightly annoyed that not only had both his prey had gotten away but were also trying to stop him, turned back from his escape route and made a move to lash out with his elastic arms. He pulled back with one arm full of various goods, and lashed out with it towards the green-haired woman as an impromptu cat-o-nine-tails. Izuku dashed over from his position on the side of the street between the villain and his comrade.

"_Oh fuck,"_ was all Izuku was able to think as he threw his arms up in a "X" in front of himself. The appendage smashed into Izuku's block, causing his legs to buckle and forcing the young man to his knees. Even without looking at his arms, Izuku could already tell from the numb stinging sensation that they were badly bruised from the bashing delivered by the various large items wrapped up by the villain.

As he cast his gaze upward he found his arms, the sides of which were now a hideous mix of black and yellow bruises, had blocked the blow and the green haze around them had frozen the end of the villains appendage in a layer of ice. Almost immediately, Izuku felt something beyond the pain of the bruises on his arm: his whole body felt like it was burning up. It felt like all of the heat of the sun had focused on him and he was slowly roasting alive within his clothes.

He slowly dropped his arms and let the chunk of ice the villain's arm was encased in drop to the ground. Izuku struggled to stand as the heat and fatigue began overtaking him. He weakly made his way back to his feet as police cars rounded the corner and began surrounding the elastic villain. Izuku turned and gave a soft smile to the woman beside him before succumbing to his fatigue and crumpling.

* * *

Izuku awoke to find a pair of paramedics standing over him, along with a cool sensation under his arms and on his forehead. He blinked a few times, then slowly began easing himself up. One of the paramedics looked down and noticed the boy was conscious once again, urging him to take it slowly. As he sat all the way up the cool, damp sensation from his forehead and under his arms disappeared and something fell into his lap. He looked down to see an ice pack in his lap, followed by himself laying on a bench on the side of the street.

One of the paramedics came next to Izuku and watched him carefully, "You're very lucky young man. By the time we got here, you were burning up all over. We suspected you passed out from heat stroke or something, the young lady over there" the medic gestured off towards a group of police that seemed to be taking a statement from the woman in the purple dress. "She had been watching over you while the police took care of that villain. Luckily it seems like you just need some rest and time to cool off."

Izuku turned back from looking at the stranger to offer his thanks to the medic, only to find his throat parched. _"In fact, my whole body seems dried out…"_ he thought to himself. After a few seconds of pantomiming a drinking motion, the medics got the idea and fetched a water bottle from an ambulance to give him. Izuku eagerly opened the bottle and swallowed it as quickly as he could.

Several questions and basic reaction tests from the medics, followed by the bandaging of his arms, and a very sore and tired Izuku was cleared from their watch. They suggested, Izuku go give his statement to the officers who had taken the villain in custody. _"I'm not thrilled at the idea of wasting more time for that, but I do want to thank that woman. Also, I can just think of it as good practice for when I have to do paperwork for catching villains in the future."_ Izuku thought with a small chuckle.

As he approached the police officers and woman in question, he could hear he animatedly telling of how the two of them fought off the villain. As Izuku approached, she turned and pointed towards him with a big smile, "... now, let me tell you. This guy is crazy. He had already seen me split apart a few times, but when that villain tried smashing me with his arm he jumped in front of me and blocked it without a second thought." She threw an arm around Izuku's back and pulled him forward towards the group interviewing her.

Now that he was next to her, Izuku was able to get a much better view of the woman who had helped him stop the rampaging thief. She had dark green wavy hair, a shade or two darker than Izuku's, that dropped down to around her shoulders. Her eyes were an even darker shade of green, almost mistakable for black at first glance. Her outfit consisted of a dark purple sweater dress that clung to her curvy frame, and was accented by the black leather belt on her waist.

Izuku sheepishly rubbed his head, "Well, it's what anyone aspiring to be a hero would do, right? And since I don't really know about your quirk, I didn't want to just assume you'd end up being okay." This earned a laugh from the woman by his side that quickly spread between the officers she had been talking to.

Taking on a more serious tone, she turned to Izuku and recapped what she had shared with the investigation: that the villain had stolen her purse about a hundred meters away from where Izuku started chasing him and she had split off her hand with the purse to try and slow him down. A few words were exchanged between Izuku and the officers, about the shop the thief had originally stolen from, and the police soon were on their way.

Izuku turned to walk away only to have part of his hoodie grabbed by the woman from before. He turned back to face her, only to see she had extended a hand out towards him. "We didn't get the chance to talk before with all the excitement, but my name's Setsuna. Setsuna Tokage, nice to meetcha," She flashed a razor sharp smile at Izuku.

"Ah, Izuku Midoriya. It's nice to meet you too." He tersely returned as he reached out and shook her hand, "I have to say, that's a rather amazing quirk you have there. As far as I can tell, you can split apart your body and telekinetically control each part?" Setsuna proudly smiled back at him then nodded her head enthusiastically.

"That's more or less the idea. Also if I lose a body part I separated, I can grow it back; but, that leaves me a bit fatigued." Izuku stared at her in amazement, his mind already making mental notes about her quirk to record in his journal later. She gave a laugh at his distant expression before continuing, "And what's your quirk? Ice? Heat? Temperature control? I gotta say, you were pretty **hot** when I stopped you from collapsing."

Izuku's face flushed bright red from inflection in your comment, thinking to himself, _"Well you're pretty hot too."_ He noticed that Setsuna's face flushed a light crimson as well, her confidence seemingly faltering slightly. "Wait… did I say that outloud?" She nodded her head in affirmation as her blush depended, before taking a breath to compose herself.

Setsuna's face returned to her sharp grin, "Well hotshot, you got a phone?" Izuku dumbly nodded and rummaged through his pockets before producing the device. In a flash, she snatched the device out of his hand and was rapidly typing into it. She dropped it back into his hands shortly after, "If you ever want to talk or beat the daylights out of another villain, let me know. Also, might want to put a password on that." She let out a melodic laugh, then waved a goodbye to Izuku before going down the street.

After a few awkward moments of Izuku's mouth flapping and a terse wave and mutter of "bye", he looked down to his phone. A new contact was in his address book as "Setsuna" followed by a heart emoji.

"_What the hell just happened?"_

* * *

**A Few Days Later**

Izuku's mind had been replaying his past encounter with the elastic villain as he walked to meet with All Might to resume their training. _"I should tell All Might. Sure, he's gonna be pissed that I went against what he said, but I also couldn't just let that villain get away. But more importantly, now that I've given it some more time and thought, I think I have something concrete for what my quirk is."_

The young man found himself shortly at the beachfront, basked in the setting rays of the afternoon sun. As usual, Toshinori had parked his truck on the curb and was sitting on the tailgate waiting for Izuku. As Izuku came closer, Toshinori's face lit up with recognition; before it quickly became clouded with a mixture of what appeared to be anger and… disappointment? _"Oh shit, he knows."_ Izuku thought, his mind now switched over into damage control.

"**Young Man**. Care to tell me what this is?" In his hand a UTube video someone had taken of Izuku freezing the elastic villain's arm was being shown.

"I believe that's a phone?" Izuku tried to weakly joke. All Might sighed and seemed to deflate a bit at the poor attempt at humor.

"No. I know you want to be a hero and help others, but I thought you promised me to take things easy for a bit? You can't go and break yourself before you even get the chance to be a pro." He rubbed his neck and gave another sigh of exasperation.

Izuku took a seat beside the older man. "I know you didn't want me to exert myself. But you also said a hero's job is give others hope and help them as long as you have the strength and will to." Toshinori let out a weak chuckle, and his strict face seemed to crack slightly into a smile.

"Well… I can't really argue with myself." He gave another sighed, then stood up from the truck and walked towards the beach with Izuku following behind him. Toshinori continued, "You're a great kid with a lot of heart and potential. That's why I wanted to train you. I just-" he broke off and took a stabilizing breath, "I just don't want to see you continue to suffer because either you or I push you too hard or too fast. You've already blacked out once and almost drowned another time."

"But that's your job as my mentor, you're supposed to push me to work harder and be better," Izuku rebutted. "And in our world of heroes and villains, everything won't always be easy or painless. I shouldn't be trying to hurt myself, but sometimes that just happens."

Toshinori turned back to Izuku and the two shared a small sad smile. After a pregnant silence, Izuku continued to talk to his mentor.

"I think it's finally clicked for me how my quirk works after the other day." Toshinori perked up and turned to face his pupil in anticipation. "There's an old legend called 'The Monkey's Paw'. The idea is that it's something you can make wishes with, but each time a wish is made there is a price that must be paid. Thinking back, something like that sounds similar to what I've experienced with my quirk."

Izuku paused for a moment to let his words sink in for his mentor. Toshinori nodded for him to continue, "In the case of saving you from getting hit, I was able to move incredibly fast but I passed out afterwards. My guess is that I was able to use my muscles and energy in an incredible burst, but that it used up too much of my energy and the whiplash afterwards blacked me out."

Toshinori sagely nodded in agreement. "In that case, the augmentation of your muscles to increase your speed and strength we've practiced would be another example, except more practice has led to a less taxing cost of you just being slightly more tired or sore?"

A strange look of contemplation crossed Toshinori's face as he turned to his pupil with another question, "Then what about in the case of walking on the water? You gained the ability to do that, but the price was that you were knocked out by the wave?" He questioned back to Izuku. The boy shook his head, a look of uncertainty clouding his face.

"I'm still not too sure in that case. My guess was that maybe I had made myself less dense than the water, and my lost density was passed onto the water beneath me, letting me walk on it. Or, like you said, I gained the ability to do something I shouldn't normally but it ended up with me being swept underwater."

Izuku continued, "Then there was the incident a few days ago with the elastic villain. I had tried to cool him down to escape his grasp; but it seemed the more cold I made him, the hotter I became in turn." A shiver ran down Izuku's spine as he remembered the uncomfortably hot sensation across his body.

"Of course, these are only a handful of situations, but I would be willing to bet my quirk functions similar to the idea of a Monkey's Paw. I would guess it can alter things about reality, either myself or others, but at some sort of cost. I'm not sure what the limits-" Izuku continued on explaining, getting lost in his own thoughts as his mentor became overwhelmed by all that was presented to him.

Toshinori turned to the younger man, a smile and hint of pride spilling onto his face, "I'm not sure if I've ever said it Young Midoriya, but you are truly a splendid young man. I can't wait to see what sort of hero you'll become."

"Now, I know you're not gonna like this," at hearing Izuku say this, Toshinori sighed then began to steel himself for what would come next, "but I want to try another idea I have to test my hypothesis of how my quirk works."

The older man gave a deeper sigh at the younger man's enthusiasm, Toshinori replied "I suppose even if I told you no, you'll get around to trying it anyways. So go ahead." With a small fist pump to himself, Izuku ran over to the closest scrap pile, looking for a larger piece of debris. When he found a sufficiently large piece of scrap metal, he pulled it out, placed it on the beach, then walked back to where All Might was.

"_So ideally, if my idea is right… I should to do this."_ Izuku turned his gaze back towards the piece of metal he placed down in the sand, and concentrated as hard as he could on it. After a few seconds, a green puff of smoke exploded around Izuku and the area where the metal piece was. The smoke began to settle, revealing that the piece of metal appeared where Izuku stood moments before, and him in its previous spot. Another fist pump and cheer from Izuku was followed up by him running over to his stunned mentor.

"You can teleport?!" Toshinori screamed in shock at his pupil. Izuku gave a small shrug then smiled at the man with a nod, as if to say "I guess so". Both men gave a long laugh at the idea.

"My idea was that if I can do something with my quirk as long as something happens in return, then I can probably extend that to other ideas or uses, right? I figured I could switch with-" Izuku's explanation as he continued back to his mentor was interrupted by a scream from nearby. Both mentor and pupil turned to find a woman with pink hair staring down at the beach from near the street.

"All those precious materials. My treasure trove of resources to make more babies… WHAT HAPPENED?!" The stranger turned and saw the two other people already on the beach, and within seconds she had jumped the guard rail of the road and was off sprinting across the beach towards them.

As she came closer, Izuku was able to see much greater detail of the pink haired figure: the woman in question was slightly shorter than him, with salmon pink hair that seemed to be together in fluffy clumps around her head. She seemed to be wearing a black tank top that was barely holding back her impressive bust, along with heavy-duty cargo pants and matching work boots and gloves. Her appearance was rounded out by a set of steampunk-looking goggles, with various lenses and additional pieces attached, that crowned her head.

She continued her rapid approach and only barely managed to skid to a halt in front of Toshinori and Izuku before barreling them over. She held up a finger as she bent over and caught her breath, then shot back up, "Now, as I was saying… What happened to all the wonderful resources here?"

Izuku and Toshinori shared a questioning look before the elder asked the eccentric woman, "What exactly do you mean? The only thing here is trash. It's our duty as citizens to clean up all this pollution." When the word "trash" left Toshinori's lips, the woman frowned and held out an accusatory finger.

"Trash?! How dare you! All of this is lovely scrap. Materials that can be reused and made into something wonderful. Why, it's all just going to waste here, when instead I could be using it to make new babies that will make me famous." The woman seemed to look off into the distance at a bright and glorious future only she could see. Izuku turned to Toshinori and mouthed a silent "she seems crazy".

The woman immediately turned to Izuku, her eyes narrowing on him. As their eyes met, Izuku noticed that her bright golden yellow eyes seemed to have cross hairs across them. "I'm not crazy. I'm Hatsume. Mei Hatsume! And I'll be the greatest inventor U.A. and Japan has ever seen!" As she shouted out this proclamation, she pulled out a business card from her cargo pants that she handed to Izuku.

"All this stuff you're calling trash and hauling away is what I've been using to make my inventions. A lot cheaper and easier to get this than buy steel." Mei puffed out her chest and seemed proud at her accomplishment. Izuku put the business card in his pocket, then looked back at Mei.

"Sorry for hauling away your… materials? I didn't even know you were here though, and I've been cleaning this beach for months." Izuku shot back at Mei.

She nodded her head then responded, "I guess that makes sense, I have been at the other side of the beach when I usually come to collect my materials. But today I wanted to look for something a bit different than usual, and it was a bit hard to miss the fact that most of the scrap was missing here." She looked around and seemed to deflate at the sight of the bare beach nearby.

After too long and awkward of a silence, Mei perked back up with a quick, "Ah! I know what to do." She turned and pointed a finger at Izuku, "You there! Green man, you'll help me get the scrap I came here for! It'll be your way of making up to me for getting rid of precious materials I could've used." Izuku stared back at Mei with his mouth agape.

He turned to Toshinori who gave a shrug. "Yeah. Sure. Okay, guess I'll do that?" Izuku replied before thinking to himself, _"Don't know why I'd owe her that, but as long as it gets her out of our hair for now?"_ He looked around the beach then up towards the street. "What exactly am I gonna be putting it on by the way?"

Mei facepalmed then turned back to the street as she pulled what looked like a small remote control from one of her cargo pants pockets. "Right, I was so busy trying to figure out what happened to my personal scrapyard I forgot about it." She fiddled for a few seconds with a joystick and a few buttons on the remote, "Come to mommy!"

A small rush of hot air and wind that began to kick up sand on the beach accompanied the arrival of what looked to be more or less a flatbed truck. Except where the tires would have been, turbines the size of barrels, seemingly made of old oil barrels were keeping the vehicle hovering above the ground. The entire vehicle itself seemed to be a patchwork of metals and materials ranging from old hulls of boats to steel girders.

Mei pushed another button, and the hum of the turbines quieted down before the giant vehicle dropped to the beach with a *THUNK*. "This is one of my best babies I've made recently. I call it a Hovercraft." Toshinori and Izuku looked at one another, exchanging looks of amazement.

"Why exactly do you have this, and not just a regular truck?" Izuku questioned of the girl before he could stop himself. Her eyes lit up quickly.

"Well, a car is just so boring right? Then there's the problem of the load you can carry in a regular vehicle. Also there's the whole fact my driver's license was revoked on account of the modifications I made to my old car… so I figured if I use something that's not a car, it should be fine. Right? Anyways cars can't fly and-" Almost immediately, Izuku regretted asking about the vehicle choice. In an attempt to stop the endless flow of words from Mei, he tried to turn back to the topic at hand.

"You wanted me to load stuff onto this thing, right?" Mei snapped out of her speech, and turned back towards Izuku.

"Right. I'm working on something with similar tech to the hovercraft; but, it'll end up being smaller, so ideally I want high durability materials that are also lightweight," Mei explained. After receiving a confused look from Izuku, she sighed and pulled down her goggles to look at the nearby trash piles. She grabbed onto Izuku's hand then led him over to nearby piles and pointed out certain pieces she wanted him to retrieve. After getting a nice little pile going on the beach, she nodded satisfied with the work being done, then stepped back to watch Izuku work.

"_Of course I could just lift all of this one at a time and carry it over there, but that would eat up a lot of time. I wonder… maybe this would be another opportunity to try something with my quirk."_ Izuku looked at the scrap he had piled in front of him, then focused his mind. After a few seconds, a puff of green smoke covered the spot where the scrap mound was followed by another puff of green smoke on the back of the hovercraft. As it cleared, the spot where Izuku and the scrap had been was vacant; yet, on the back of Mei's hovercraft was the entire pile of scrap with a red-faced Izuku. He took a step off the vehicle back to the beach and tried to catch his breath.

"Well, that was fun. Is that- that it Mei? Anything else?" The woman looked back and forth between the spot between where the scrap and Izuku had previously been, and their new position on the back of her vehicle.

In a moment, Mei had moved from her position to on top of Izuku. He let out a shocked gasp as he felt Mei start running her hands across his body. "How did you do that? Speed and strength enhancements? Teleportation? Matter transference?" She continued to spit out a million different ideas for Izuku's quirk, as she continued to feel the young man up, "You're very solidly built. Oooo, it has to be super strength or speed. No average man could be this muscular."

Toshinori muffled a hearty laugh off to the side as he witnessed the strange event occur, and Izuku become more and more flustered by Mei pushing past his boundaries. After several more seconds of poking and prodding, Mei backed off Izuku and looked him straight in the eyes again.

"You're a more interesting person than I thought! If I built equipment for someone like you, I'd be a renowned inventor and you'd be a world class hero in no time!" She struck a pose with her hands on her hips, eyes looking off towards the horizon, a moment passed then she turned back to Izuku. "Anyways, I never got your name. I'll need to know the name of the man who will headline my brand in the future!"

Izuku gave a small sigh, then smiled as he was worn down by Mei's eagerness. "It's Midoriya. Izuku Midoriya." He held out a hand for her to shake, which she rapidly gripped in both hands.

Her eyes seemed to sparkle as the two of them made contact, "Izuku Midoriya, I'll try to remember that. I expect you to help me with more material retrieval here again. And maybe some time down the road, I can have you help me make some babies." Just as quickly as she latched onto him, she let go of Izuku's hand and climbed onto the hovercraft. With a few deft button presses on the remote, the vehicle spun up and lifted off the ground spraying sand all over the two men. In a few seconds, the machine had speed back up to the road and was just a distant speck on the horizon.

The two men tried their best to shake the coating of sand off, at which point Toshinori gave a hearty laugh and a slap on the back to Izuku. "You've got quite the way with the ladies, huh Young Midoriya? Not even a hero and you already have someone who wants to sponsor you!" He gave a hearty laugh as Izuku continued to just stare at Mei's rapidly shrinking figure.

"What just happened?"

* * *

**Author's Note:**  
Thanks for all the support the story has recieved so far! If you're interested in discussing the work, things pertaining to other works I've done, or becoming a beta for this work - join my discord at /xFuDyVM


	5. Chapter 5

_Italics_ denotes an individual's thoughts

**Bold **denotes large time shifts/ or introductions of new settings; also may be used for emphasis

Line dividers denote a smaller scene or time shift

* * *

**Ch. 5: The Edge of Tomorrow**

Another two months had passed since Izuku had met Setsuna and Mei. He had intermittently met with the both of them while trying to fill the gaps in his schedule when All Might couldn't meet up with him: in Mei's case, it would usually be her coming to the beach to show off various inventions she had been working on, or to make Izuku carry some more scrap to the hovercraft. In Setsuna's case, the two of them had bonded over their desire to get into U.A. which usually resulted in their meetups being training days either at the beach or a local gym.

Both women had stirred up feelings Izuku couldn't quite place yet. On one hand, Mei had seemed extremely eccentric and socially inept. But as he grew to know her through short exchanges, he began to notice a pattern of her behavior being like this due to her extreme dedication to her craft. Moments when she would seem zone out or ignore someone talking to her usually came down to her already coming up with and drafting plans for a new invention. Though Izuku could excuse some of this behavior, her penchant for getting **very** up close and personal along with her habit of "studying" his body had left him rather uncomfortable in comparison to her.

In the case of Setsuna, she seemed to be a very carefree spirit. The time the two had spent together showed her to be capable of being serious when she wanted to, but her usually attitude was one that was equal parts teasing and nonchalance. Izuku thought that after the time they'd spent together he would've been used to her innuendos and constant teasing, but she seemed to find either unique situations or perfect timings to surprise him. Although he didn't quite really mind it, the fact of the matter was that he was still easily flustered, unsure if her teasing was hints at something deeper or just a friend poking fun at one another.

Regardless, two specific moments during their time together came to Izuku's mind: seeing Mei's ambition to get into U.A. in practice the first time he visited her workshop; and the potentially mixed message he had received last time he trained with Setsuna.

* * *

Dull. That was the way Izuku would have likely described the beginning of his day. It had begun like normal, with the tedium of finishing up classes dragging on far longer than most students would like, as the end of term fatigue had already began. Usually Izuku would've been thrilled to have gone to his daily training session with All Might, but the hero had messaged him the night before, explaining that he had a prior engagement. With much gusto, he asked Izuku to continue up his training without him.

Currently, the young hero in training had decided to do a "regular" workout session: In this case it meant removing using old fashioned arm and leg work, rather than his quirk, to remove the remaining garbage from the beach. He had worked himself into a sort of mechanical rhythm, pushing past any groans and aches from his muscles. In time, he had worked himself into a sweat and decided to take a break on the pier overlooking the ocean.

A whir of machinery and a small sandstorm kicked up across the beach announced the arrival of what would be an end to Izuku's break. Turning back and seeing the figure of a girl with pink hair and outlandish goggles on, he gave a small sigh, "Guess I should go greet her, before she comes over to me and causes some problem." Izuku rubbed his aching muscles, and tried to throw on a convincing grin before approaching the eccentric woman.

"Heya Mei. How's it going?" Izuku shot at the pinkette. A few empty seconds passed as she paid him no mind and continued to dig through the scrap pile she had approached. Izuku's smile faltered slightly, then he considered a different approach, "Any interesting inventions you made today?" With an unnatural speed, the woman spun on her heel towards him and began rapid firing off what her day had entailed.

"Well,itallbeganwithwhenIblewouttheeletricalsocketsinmyworkshop… ThenIaccidentallyweldedmyfreezerayandlavaguntogether..." Izuku was only able to catch snippets of what the girl had begun to ramble about. _"Oh this was a mistake. Is that what I'm like when I talk about heroes… Anyways!" _Izuku let his own thoughts be as he realized Mei had slowed down her own explanations.

"And that's why I'm here now!" She finished, looking at Izuku with an earnest expression. A couple awkward seconds passed as Izuku realized he missed something critical, only for Mei to interject into his thoughts, "Oh hey, you're the guy from a while back… what was it… ZUKO! No… Issac?" She pulled up her goggles and stared at the increasingly annoyed man. A snap of her fingers followed her face lighting up, "Izuku? Yeah, that sounds right."

The man in question gave an exasperated sigh, followed by a "yeah, that's me". With the confirmation out of the way, Mei rocketed forwards into Izuku's personal space. A devilish grin graced her face as she looked at him like prey she had cornered.

"Well, I'm lucky to come on the day that I did. If I remember correctly, last time you said you'd help me whenever I needed?" Izuku deflated slightly as he remembered the promise. _"I'm sore enough from doing everything earlier… but I'd rather keep her in a good mood and not break my word."_ With a sigh of defeat, he took a slight step back to make some space between the two of them.

"I suppose I did say that… Do you need me to get more materials for you today?" To Izuku's shock, Mei shook her head "no". With a flourish, she held up her arms for Izuku to see: across them were a series of bracers that went and connected to a rod-like structure on her back and legs.

"For what I want today, these babies should do the trick. I call it, my exemplary exosuit!" Mei then went over and grabbed the frame of a small car nearby, lifting it off the ground with what seemed to be no effort. She flashed a smile towards Izuku as she continued, "Ideally it's a series of connected pulleys within the suit that help distribute weight from my arms and back into my core. Although there's still-" she was stopped by a loud ***THWACK*** sound that cut through the evening air.

"Oh my," with a lurch, Mei and the scrap she was holding suddenly tipped forward until they crashed into the sand, kicking up a small cloud of particles into the air. In a flash, Izuku had run to her side, trying to pull the metal away from where he thought she had been pinned to the ground. To his surprise, he heard a little laugh ring out from behind him. He turned to Mei pulling herself back to her feet.

"I guess it was too early to test this… seems like I might want something for the cables so they don't snap under the weight like that." Izuku was baffled by how nonchalant she was about the whole situation, _"Her invention had failed and nearly backfired on her… and she's just treating it like nothing happened?"_ After gaining enough control of himself to have his mouth flop open and closed as he was lost in thought, Izuku tried to question her.

"Um, Mei… are you okay?" She held out a thumbs up and looked at him inquisitively.

"Never better! Why?" She shot back jovially. Izuku gave a slight shake of his head followed by a mutter of "nevermind" before Mei snapped her fingers grabbing his attention once again. He looked back up to find the pinkette pointing a finger straight out at him.

"Forget the scrap! I have something different I need you for today!" She turned and ran back towards the hovercraft she had arrived in, the vehicle being haphazardly parked in the sand. With a turn back to Izuku she yelled a distant "hurry up!" followed by vigorous waving from the vehicle. Against his better judgement, Izuku shortly jogged over to and clambered up beside Mei. He made a mental note to ask his mother and All Might for forgiveness for whatever trouble Mei would be dragging him into.

* * *

Around 5 mins had passed since Izuku had joined Mei on her wild quest. For something that was made of a mixture of scrap and garbage, Izuku was pleasantly surprised by how smooth the trip had been. Putting that aside, he had taken notice that the surrounding area had slowly changed into a mixture of industrial plants and warehouses. Eventually, Mei turned off towards a property with a sign that had been marked with **DO NOT ENTER** that had been half welded off, along with pieces of the metal fence beside it. Mei swiveled the vehicle towards one of the warehouses, the bay doors rolling up as the vehicle approached.

"Welcome to my secret sanctum. The place where I make all the magic happen!" She proudly declared to Izuku. She turned the vehicle off and watched his reaction as he jumped down and looked around the dimly lit warehouse. Towards the center seemed to be an impromptu smithy forge with a rickety scrap chimney stretching towards the roof. In another corner was a workbench covered with various design sheets that had sketches of various projects smattered across them. Another section of the room had various hero merchandise pictures and posters: though seemingly ones that showed off hero tech like Air Jet's jetpack.

"Wow, this is all yours?" Izuku let out an appreciative whistle, it was a lot to take in. It was amazing to think that this was the work of someone who wasn't even a professional yet. Not only had she made the hovercraft and exosuit, but it seemed like most of the workshop itself was handbuilt by Mei. "How did you do all of this?"

Mei, who had settled at the workbench, seemed to be stumped by the question for a moment. After some careful consideration, she shifted her goggles to the top of her head and stared Izuku down, "How do you have the will to be a hero?" she shot back.

After another moment's silence she answered her own question, "When I was young, I used to love watching heroes going out to save people… It wasn't necessarily the heroes themselves that caught my eye though. It was the tech they used. The support they got from their equipment was hard for me to ignore. I mean, who could ever forget something as iconic or cool as Air Jet's jetpack? Or Snipe's guns? Or Present Mic's speakers?" Her eyes sparkled and the room itself seemed to light up as her voice reflected the joy of the memory.

"I don't want to be one of the people out there on the front lines against villains. But I do want to be the person that will be making the tech that will be putting them in their place." Mei turned back to face Izuku, her usually erratic demeanor giving way to something much more composed, and she gave him a soft smile, "Everyone who wants to be a hero has to go out their and give it their all: I want to become the best inventor I can be, so my tech will give you all the support to stay safe while you give your 110% out there." She turned and walked back to the bench that held various pieces of equipment and designs, then looked over her shoulder and inclined her head to signal Izuku to come over.

"I know you Hero Course applicants have to do your own written and practical tests, but did you know we have to do our own practicals for the Support Course?" She questioned Izuku. He shook his head slowly "no", in fact, _"I'd never really considered what sorta work went into getting into the other sort of courses for U.A…"_ he thought to himself.

"In our case, we have to present a project or portfolio that shows off our potential. In my case, I've been working on these." She turned back to the bench and gestured to what appeared to be silver and black metal bracelets or possibly anklets. "They still aren't up to the level I'd like them to be, but my High Density Weights should do the trick. Go ahead, try to pick one up." Izuku lifted an eyebrow at Mei, but with a name like that he assumed the idea is that they'd be a bit heavy.

Trying to lift them with his regular muscles at first, the man threaded his fingers around the bracelet and gave it a tug… The metal didn't budge at all. A twitch of his nose in irritation was followed by Izuku channeling his quirk into his arms and back to slightly enhance their strength, and as the green light enveloped his arms he gave another mighty pull… this time dragging the bracers across the surface of the workbench a few centimeters before becoming winded.

An idea crossed into Izuku's mind, and he focused on the bracers for a moment. Slowly a green haze came over himself and the bracers. After a few seconds, the Izuku stepped back towards the bench, only for his foot to crack the ground of the warehouse as he took a step forward. He slowly lifted his arm, wrapped his hand around the invention, and this time was able to lift it up. Sweat began to stream from his forehead, and he quickly put the device back on the bench. With a large exhale, he let his quirk go and instantly found his body much more lighter and worn out than earlier.

"Jeez Mei, what the hell is this stuff made out of? They weigh a ton. I was only able to actually move it when I swapped its density with my own." His face slowly twisted into a smile, as he mentally struggled between his amazement at the bracers' weight and his own anger at his inability to pick up the items. Mei seemed to positively glow at the comment, incredibly proud at her craftsmanship.

"Well, they're a mixture of Osmium, Platinum, and Tungsten. Their individual densities and durabilities are extremely high. Ideally, they would be used for either extreme weight training, or a sort of new age handcuffs for villains. I'd also like to see if there's a common element that seems to either weaken or nullify quirk usage, but I feel like these are in a pretty decent spot." She beamed at him as she explained.

Izuku let small chuckle escape as he looked back around the impromptu workshop, "You don't think the hovercraft or exo-suit would've been enough to get admitted?" Her smile drooped slightly as a contemplative look crossed her face. _"She looks almost as cute when she's serious as when she gets excited about her inventions… wait, where'd that come from?"_ Izuku thought to himself as he nervously turned away and fidgeted with his hands.

A tap on his shoulder got Izuku to turn back towards Mei, still extremely flustered by his own thoughts. "Sure, the hovercraft works. And the exosuit partially does as well. But isn't it more fun to try something new and challenge yourself? It can be fun to try taking a new view on a problem and seeing how else it can be solved."

About another hour or so was spent in the workshop, Mei showing off to Izuku her plans for her own jetpack based on Air Jet's, along with ideas for grappling hooks and rocket boots. As dusk began to settle in and the last rosy rays of light retreated across the sky, Mei drove Izuku back to the beach. A few awkward moments were spent in silence before saying goodbye to each other, then the two went separate ways. On Mei's way home a pit formed in her stomach as she thought, _"What's different about him that I like spending time with and talking to him?"_

* * *

It began on one of Izuku's rare free days. All Might had taken off to resolve a hostage crisis in America, while school work had slowed to a trickle as Izuku prepared to graduate. During this time, he had absentmindedly been scrolling through his phone trying to think of something to do when something caught his eye: a text from Setsuna about meeting up to try out some training from a week or so back caught his eye. Between the time they met when fighting the elastic villain and now, the two had discovered they both were aspiring to be heroes at U.A. That had lead to sporadic conversations between the two and the occasional meetup in their free time.

As Izuku lay on his bed struggling to find the strength to roll out of bed and figure out what to do during the day, he typed a tentative message to Setsuna: _"Hello. How are you? I was going to do some basic training and workout routines if you wanted to join me today?"_ Izuku shook his head and deleted the entire message.

"_God… am I an old man? I don't need to sound so straight-laced… Let's try this again." _And so the boy typed up another message as he rolled to his side: _"Hey, been a while. I'm gonna do some workout and quirk practice, wanna join?" _He gave another groan and deleted the message as he slammed his face into his pillow.

"Ugghh, I'm making this way harder than it should be…" he said aloud to no one. He picked the phone up again and resolved himself to try one more time: _"Hey, gonna hang out and get in some training at Dagobah beach. Would be boring all by myself. Want to join?"_ Before he could second guess himself, he sent the message and got up to get changed.

As he threw on a pair of track pants and a neon green tank-top his phone buzzed on the other side of the room. A few more seconds were spent pacing back and forth before turning over his phone to see a new message: _"Gonna be busy with Mrs. Bakugou today, keep yourself busy! _ _Mom"_ With a sigh, he typed back a quick message then went downstairs and out the door.

On his way to the beach, he got another message, this time from Setsuna: _"You want me to meet you at that junk-heap? Weird choice of venue, but I'll see you there!"_ Upon seeing the text, Izuku felt his heart skip, while he let go of the breath he had been subconsciously holding.

After about a ten minute walk, Izuku found himself at the beach. His strength training or conditioning had seemed to pay off: both in the fact that he had gained a muscular physique and that the beach had been about 75 percent cleaned by this point. People had started to come back to the area sporadically as the beach got cleaner: luckily it seemed that today was one of the days that was fairly clear of anyone.

Izuku scanned along the beach in search of Setsuna, not finding her. A tap on his shoulder caused Izuku to jump. As he turned to find the source of the touch, he only found a hand floating a shorting distance from him waving. _"Well she's here… somewhere."_ A chill passed down Izuku's spine as he tried to locate the hand's owner.

"I'm looking for a guy about your height. Has this incredibly messy green hair. I think he was a scrawny little person though. Seen him before?" Came a voice from behind Izuku. With a small yelp, he turned back to see Setsuna laughing at him as her hand came back and re-attached. Izuku gave her a small smile and laugh as he took in her appearance. She had opted for a pair of black yoga pants and a grey tank top proudly proclaiming "I Dinosaurs".

"Gotta say, I was pretty surprised you'd suggested we met here since last I knew this place was sorta a shithole. Whoever has been cleaning it up has done a pretty good job though." She gave a small whistle of appreciation as she looked around.

Izuku sheepishly rubbed the back of her head as she said that, "Actually… I've been doing it." Setsuna turned back to him with a sly grin on her face, eyes narrowed.

"No way, you're pulling my leg." She gave a small laugh and jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. After seeing his face remain stoic at this her smile cracked a bit, "Wait- you're serious?! Why did you do all of this? How did you do it?" Izuku gave a weak shrug and grinned at the girl.

"Well, my mentor has a weird sense of what I should do to train. Though I can't really complain, I think it's really helped with conditioning my body." At this Izuku flexed a bicep, earning a laugh from Setsuna.

"If you say so. I gotta ask, you didn't ask me out here to pick up garbage with you, right? As much fun as community service is, I was hoping it'd be something more exciting than that." She wrinkled her nose slightly at the idea of hauling around garbage. Izuku shook his head in denial in response.

"As much fun as that would be, I've been doing that for a few months and am getting pretty bored of that. Now I know it's not technically legal… but with the U.A. entrance exam coming up, I was wondering if you'd want to spar?" He crossed his arms and smiled at the woman before him. Setsuna put a finger to her lips in contemplation as her eyes narrowed at the challenge. After a few seconds of light humming while she thought she dropped her hand to reply.

"Sure, we're not too far off from it now. Though since you got to see my quirk in action a lot more than I was able to see yours, I want to make a request of you," She flashed a devilish grin at Izuku, "the winner gets to request something of the loser."

"_She's being incredibly ambiguous about that. Something like that could mean anything…" _Izuku's face flushed scarlet as various ideas passed through his mind. Putting that all aside, he took a steadying breath, then shot back with a, "that sounds fine". He pulled out two red cloth bandanas and threw one to Setsuna, "Brought these along just in case you agreed. Tie it anywhere you want, first one to grab the other's by any means necessary, is the winner."

Izuku looked down and quickly tied it around his upper left arm before turning back to Setsuna. She had stepped about five meters away from him and opted to tie it around her neck. With a questioning yell of "Ready?" passed between each other, they took off.

It began with Izuku using his quirk to enhance his leg muscles for faster movement. In a flash of green, he had lunged towards Setsuna with his right arm in an attempt to gauge how she would react. In return, as he closed the distance, she used her quirk to begin splitting herself apart. The lunge that had been towards her torso passed through empty air as a gap between her upper and lower body formed.

With a smirk plastered on her face, Setsuna countered by kicking out with her legs, hoping to have Izuku distracted by her splitting. As her leg thrust out towards him, Izuku dodged back taking a step or two to gain distance. _"Her advantage of course is that she can be in multiple places at once, I need to make sure that I keep track of any stray parts she splits off…"_ Izuku thought to himself.

As Izuku drew himself back, Setsuna had been considering similar problems, _"My quirk has a great deal of range and versatility, but I would guess he knows that too. I don't know too much about what he can do besides the ice he used against the thief. Though that could be anything from temperature control to ice generation… My best bet would to probably use positioning or a sleight of hand to my advantage."_ As she thought to herself, Setsuna split her arms from her torso, having the right curl up into a fist and hurtle itself towards Izuku. The left meanwhile had lowered to the beach and was trying to dig into the sand.

While this occured, Izuku tried to prepare a counter-strategy and opted to run towards the relatively calm ocean water. Setsuna's haymaker she had thrown nearly missed the back of Izuku's head, causing him to glance over his shoulder at the nearby limb. This proved to be a mistake, as the arm that Setsuna had near the sand took this moment to lurch forward and grasp at Izuku's ankles tripping him.

He closed his eyes and threw his arms up as he tried to roll on the soft sand. After the moment of impact passed, he opened his eyes to see that both of Setsuna's arms had grabbed his wrists to pin him to the ground. A few seconds passed and he saw that her lower half came over and sat on his torso to keep him further in place. He twisted his head off to the right to see her upper body still hovering a few feet away, a devious grin on her face.

"I don't want to be so **rough** with you, I-zu-ku. But I'll be nice and give you the chance to give up before I take what I **want **from you." She sung sweetly from her perch. A low hollow laugh came from Izuku, quickly souring Setsuna's smile. He flashed her a smile back as he stared directly into her eyes.

"Oh, I'm just starting to have fun. This is far from over," he hollered back. As the smile on his face grew wider, green smoke began to cover his body, along with Setsuna's. With a cry of "What the hell?!" Setsuna soon found herself being held down by her own hands, with her legs sitting in the sand next to her. Her mind was thrown in disarray as she realized that she had swapped positions with Izuku.

"What is this?! You can teleport too? What even is your quirk?" She huffed in annoyance as she untangled herself. Izuku smirked at her as confidence began to bubble up within himself. He walked back towards Setsuna as she pulled herself back together. He tried something different this time, willing himself to be denser while the ground became less dense: his body took on a slightly green hue and within moments he was sinking beneath the sand.

Setsuna shot up, pulling herself completely back together in an attempt to minimize the targets Izuku could hit. She frantically scanned the sand in search for him, with a small patch of green-ish fog covering a patch directly in front of her catching her eye. She dove backwards as Izuku rocketed back out of the ground, arms aimed at the position she had just been in.

He fell back onto the sand with a thud, his muscles burning and lungs gasping for air. _"Well that was new… with it wearing me down so much, I don't plan on doing that any time again soon."_ He picked his head up to see that Setsuna had once again split off her legs, them vaulting up above him and dropping towards him with an ax-kick. Izuku sucked in as much air as he could, and rolled his aching body to the side as the kick slammed into the sand with a loud ***PFFT***.

"I didn't think it would end up being this **hard** or **long** for an exercise Izuku. I'm not complaining… but it almost feels like you're cheating Izuku." Setsuna teased him as he struggled to pull himself back up. His face lit up scarlet again earning another laugh from Setsuna. With a sigh, he rolled his now sore shoulders before willing himself to go as fast as he could still push himself. _"I've got to try and end this before my exhaustion catches up with me."_

"Here I come Setsuna!" With that declaration, the green light pooled in his legs and he kicked off from the sand. In a second he had sped past the girl's lower half, which had floated back up from it's kicking position, and he was next to Setsuna's upper body. One of his arms reached out to grab her shoulder to hold in her place while the other went for her neck where the bandana was tied.

"It's over Setsu-" He cut himself off as he realized three things: Setsuna didn't dodge or move from his attack, she had a very large grin plastering her face, and the bandana was missing from her neck. She gave a laugh as she used her left arm to pull him into her chest. The unexpected action combined with the soft sensation he came into contact with left Izuku too flustered to focus on breaking out of her grip. With the moment's distraction, Setsuna used her floating right arm to snag the bandana off of Izuku's left arm.

"Nice try Izuku, but it's gonna take a bit more than a few surprises to get past me," She said as she reattached her right arm, showing off both his bandana in her hand along with her own now on her elbow.

Izuku looked up at her in a mixture of amazement and some anger, "First off, how did you change where your bandana was? Second off, how is that fair?"

"Well, when you got fancy and dove underground I guessed that you couldn't see anything and took the time to change where it was… It's not like you said we can't do that." She flashed him a razor sharp grin. "Anyways if we're gonna talk about fair, what's up with your quirk? Being able to do just about everything seems a bit unfair." Her expression clouded over slightly.

"I'm not too sure myself." He replied, gaining a look of disbelief from Setsuna. "No really!" He continued, "I had thought I was quirkless until just a few months ago. As far as I've figured out, I can alter different parts of reality, but in exchange for something else. I can enhance my muscles to do more than what they should be able to, but it costs my stamina and leaves me more worn out. Or in the case of earlier, I can teleport and switch places with someone or something. It's like the universe is rewriting what I'd like as long as a price is paid."

Setsuna looked at Izuku incredulously, disbelief apparent on her face. "If I hadn't seen and experienced what you can do, I'd call you crazy. Honestly I'm not sure if maybe I'm just crazy, or maybe this is just a dream…" She closed her eyes, and slapped her face with one of her hands. "Owww… no this seems pretty real." A moment of silence passed between the two, before Setsuna's eyes lit up and an unnerving grin spread across her face before she spoke again.

"Ohhhhh, so how do I know you didn't use this all powerful quirk to force me to meet you these last few times?" A smirk spread across her face as she quipped at him. Izuku's face flushed bright crimson as he rapidly waved his hands in front of his face.

"I couldn't- or at least I wouldn't- that's not who I am… I…" He rapid fired off excuses and explanations, trying to address the concern and getting more flustered in the process. Setsuna gave off a hearty laugh before throwing an arm around Izuku and pulling him into a headlock, causing him to only become more flustered at the contact.

"I know, I'm just joking. Thought… It's so easy and fun to mess with you… hopefully we'll be in the same class at U.A. I want to see more of your cute flustered expressions." She whispered into his ear. Steam nearly started to pour out of his ears at hearing this, and Izuku's poor brain started to shutdown.

Her teasing done for the time being, Setsuna turned to leave the beach as the sun waned in the afternoon sky. After a few steps, she paused and looked back towards Izuku. "I almost forgot! You owe me something…" She held a finger up to her lips and cocked her head in thought, "I know! You can take me out for ramen to celebrate passing the Entrance Exam!" She then blew a kiss and threw a wink to Izuku as she pivoted and walked back towards the city, leaving the flustered boy to deal with the sudden rush of emotion and embarrassment by their final exchange.

* * *

**Morning of the U.A. Entrance Exam**

Toshinori had requested that Izuku meet him on Dagobah beach on the morning before the entrance exam into U.A. The sun had just risen and was crowning the city skyline with a light golden-red hue. As Izuku approached the beach he caught a glimpse of the area he had used as his training grounds for the last several months: the murky mounds of trash that had been scattered across the area for years had been slowly taken care, now revealing a blanket of white sand. The soft sound of waves lapping up on the shore was simultaneously a soothing and foreign sound. Off in the distance, Izuku could see people had actually started coming back to the beach and were milling around.

Izuku tore his gaze away from the picturesque view, allowing it to wander across the beach until he found his mentor leaning up against his pickup truck near the road. The older man gave him a wave and started walking towards him. A brief exchange of "good mornings" and "how are you" was shared between the men before Toshinori gestured towards the beach and they began to walk down towards the shore.

"Young Midoriya, you've worked so hard to get to this moment," Toshinori could feel his eyes start to get moist as he looked at his pupil. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, "It's been amazing to oversee your training, but the time has finally come for me to step aside and you to put all your training and experiences to the test." He took a pause to organize himself for what would come next.

"_It's time, I should've given One for All to him earlier so he could practice with it; but, his own quirk should be sufficient for the entrance exam. It'll just be a little boost if he needs the extra power… and for when the world needs a new Symbol of Peace."_ Toshinori smiled at the younger man, then turned his head to look around the beach. He gave a short whistle of appreciation as he remembered all the hard work that Izuku had completed there.

"I've said it before, but I'd like to say it one last time before you leave for you exam: Young Midoriya, no… Izuku. You have proven to me once again that you have all the qualities of a hero, regardless of your quirk. Your determination, passion, and courage will be the traits that make you a great hero." Toshinori took a moment to pause, seeing that his protege was tearing up.

"I have one final thing I'd like to impart to you before you leave for your exam." This statement from Toshinori earned a quizzical look from Izuku. He elaborated, "I originally had intended this to be the reward for your training… but I wasn't quite sure if I would go through with it once I learned you have a quirk." Izuku seemed to only get more confused as he raised an eyebrow at Toshinori.

"Let me cut to the chase I suppose… Young Midoriya, I saw and continue to see within you the potential to be a great hero in the next generation. Knowing this, I chose to train you as I wished to pass my quirk onto you." The older man paused as Izuku's eyes widened. He began muttering to himself completely forgetting his mentor was there.

"How can a quirk be passed to someone else? It isn't just a gift you can freely give and take right? I mean quirks are genetic, you have to have been born with it-" Izuku continued rapid fire muttering as his eyes seemed to cloud over at the idea.

"Midoriya- Midoriya!" Toshinori tried to cut through his thoughts, but Izuku continued to muse over the idea.

"Of course, quirks are known to have mutations that allow something different from what might be passed down. Could it be possible there's a quirk that allows someone to transfer it? My own quirk is incredible strange, it wouldn't be too out of the ordinary I guess-"

"MIDORIYA… **IZUKU MIDORIYA!**" Toshinori shook Izuku out of his thoughts and brought him back from his endless train of thought. Once he had Izuku's focus again he started his explanation over, "As I was saying… I decided to pass my quirk onto you. All I can really afford to tell you in time we have is that my quirk has been one entangled in a long history with All For One. You have heard of that villain at least?" Izuku nodded, among his search for hero knowledge over the years, the villain's name had cropped up.

"I've heard his name before, mostly just legends though. I thought he was long dead?" Izuku looked quizzically at the hero. Toshinori sighed and shook his head.

"As usual, what I'm gonna say is just between us, ok?" After getting a nod of affirmation from Izuku, he continued, "As far as I know, All For One has been critically injured. The injury I have," Toshinori slightly pulled up his shirt to expose the webbed scar, "is the price I had to pay for that to happen though. My mentor gave her life trying to take him down, and I finished the job. I haven't seen that piece of shit since, but I need to keep being vigilante until I know for sure he's gone." Izuku stared up in awe at his mentor.

"Putting that aside… this quirk has been passed down, generation to generation, our collective power and experience being passed between each user. Each prior user found someone who they thought would embody the spirit of a hero who'd be able to fight off the evil of the world." Toshinori took a second, a distant look crossed his eye as he remembered the pain and carnage of the day when he defeated All For One. After the moment passed, he plucked a hair and turned towards the younger man. He briefly pulled him into an embrace, then buffed up to his heroic form and looked down upon Izuku.

"Young Midoriya, I told you long ago that you could never be a hero. And today I'm glad to say I was never more wrong in my life." He took a small pause as emotion welled up causing him to slightly choke up, he looked off towards the horizon then turned back with some tears staining his cheeks."With my injuries, I won't be able to continue as the Symbol of Peace for much longer… After watching you grow and overcome challenges, I come before you with an offer: will you take my quirk and become the beacon of hope for the next generation of heroes and the world?"

Izuku had been stunned by all that had been told to him. Not only was the man before him the hero who had saved and trained him, he was giving him an opportunity to be more than he was. He looked up as tears brimmed in his own eyes, and with a confident grin slowly crossing his face he replied, "I'd want that more than anything in the world." Toshinori returned the smile, then stretched out the hand he had plucked the hair with.

"Then… EAT THIS!"

* * *

**Author's Note:**  
Surprise! Double Trouble! Two for one special! Sorry for the slight delay on chapter posting, but hopefully that was made up by the fact that today got double the love.

As always: Thanks for your love and support, feel free to join me at my discord at ( /xFuDyVM) If you'd like to come discuss the work, things pertaining to other works I've done, or become a beta for this work!

See y'all real soon!


	6. Chapter 6

_Italics_ denotes an individual's thoughts

**Bold **denotes large time shifts/ or introductions of new settings; also may be used for emphasis

Line dividers denote a smaller scene or time shift

* * *

**Ch. 6:** **The First Step**

"Can you repeat that for me? I think I might still be asleep?" Izuku rubbed his eyes, blinked a few times, then looked up at his mentor with a questioning look on his face. Toshinori waved a lock of his golden hair in front of the boy's face with emphasis.

"Look, I'll explain more later but you have to get to your exam, right? Just trust me: the only way that I can pass on my quirk to you is by having you ingest my DNA." He huffed and let out a sigh, then held up his free hand to the bridge of his nose. "This is probably the least awkward way of going about it… so please, just take it."

Izuku raised an eyebrow at the older man, then shook his head as he processed the very strange idea. He reached out his hand and grabbed the lock of hair from the man, then slowly lifted it up towards his mouth. With a wrinkle of his nose, he opened his mouth and dropped the hair inside. A few seconds of his face awkwardly contorting was followed by the young hero swallowing.

"Please tell me that's all to it? I don't think I would be able to stomach having to do that everyday." Izuku said to Toshinori as he stuck his tongue out slightly in disgust. "Also, it doesn't really feel like anything is different?" The older man gave a laugh and slapped the younger man on the back.

"This alone should be enough." Toshinori then looked down at a watch on his wrist, "You have to get going or you'll miss the exam." He paused slightly before approaching the second question, "We didn't have a whole lot of time to discuss my quirk… but think of One for All as a booster to your abilities and physical makeup. It'll probably end up supercharging your own quirk... but if you really want to try and use One for All, pull your arm back and with everything in your being yell SMASH." Izuku looked at the older man intently as he soaked up the information. Once Toshinori finished, Izuku gave him a deep bow followed by a "thank you for everything" and turned to begin leaving the beach.

"One last thing, Young Midoriya." Izuku heard his mentor shout after him. He turned back to see he had buffed up to be his heroic form, "Good luck out there kid. Give it your best! PLUS ULTRA!" At this, the hero's arm shot up with a fist raised and a wide grin spread across his face. The younger man gave a smile in reply, and was off sprinting towards the train station to catch a ride to the exam.

* * *

**U.A. University Grounds**

Izuku had been in good spirits since the events of earlier in the morning. Having All Might pass on his quirk was one thing Izuku never thought would be possible and left him rather dazed; and, having the hero wish him good luck ended up being the cherry on top that left Izuku humming slightly as he walked towards the gate of U.A. He took out his phone and opened it to find a few new messages: one from his mother wishing him good luck and another from Setsuna saying she'd meet him at the gate. With all this on his mind, it took Izuku a moment to register the person who roughly shoved past him.

"Hey, what the hell? No need to be so rou-" The words however caught in his throat as the woman who bumped into him turned around. Recognizing her immediately, Izuku's eyes drifted down towards the ground and away from the person instinctively, before he forced himself to look back up at her. _"No, I told myself I won't let someone else push me around and control my life… I have to show everyone, especially her, that anyone can be a hero." _he thought to himself.

Fierce crimson eyes meet Izuku's calm green ones as Katsumi spoke up, "Oi, you ended up coming here after all? Won't it just be a waste of time and effort for you to even try? Why waste the staff's time on someone who can never measure up to those of us with quirks." Izuku's face twitched slightly in annoyance at her jeering, before an idea popped into his mind.

Izuku smiled at Katsumi, "I guess we'll see. Don't think you'll be the one taking the number one spot at the end of this though." Her reaction was immediate, a scowl crossing over her face as mini explosions fired off from her curled fists.

"What, you're thinking you actually have a chance of getting the top score, let alone getting into U.A.?" Katsumi snarled at him. Before he could even deliver a reply she followed up with, "You must actually be delusional to think that," and gave a wicked laugh as she pushed past Izuku and kept walking towards the gates. Izuku balled his fists and took a few deep breaths before muttering to himself, "Yeah… good luck to you too…"

A few minutes later led to Izuku approaching the gates to the university: normally they would be closed over with an impressive mixture of metal gates, lasers, and various security subsystems that would prevent outsiders from just waltzing onto the campus. Today, that was not the case, as the arc of the gates had been widely opened to accommodate the influx of examinees. Overhead, the impressive main buildings of the campus towered: a complex of four completely glass towers that were connected by mid-air bridges. _"It's all come to this moment… everything I've been working on and fighting for these last few months."_ Izuku thought to himself, before having his mental psyche up interrupted by a soft tap on the shoulder. He rapidly spun around, suddenly finding himself face to face with Setsuna.

"Hiya!" She bubbly said to him as the boy took a half step back to put a small amount of space between the two of them. "Ready for the big day?" she questioned Izuku as she sized him up and down. For a moment, he felt like maybe he had been chosen the wrong outfit, a snug turquoise tracksuit, before Setsuna stopped eyeing him and gave him a smile. He gave her a small nod of affirmation as a grin spread across his face.

"Well, as ready as I can be today." Izuku looked Setsuna up and down before furrowing his eyebrows. She had opted for a dark green sundress today, something that caused Izuku to be puzzled as he spoke up, "Though it looks like you won't be too ready to take on the practical in that get up?" he questioned back at her. Setsuna blushed slightly and rubbed the back of her head.

"Ah, I guess I sorta forgot to mention that. I can't tell you exactly why right now… but I'm not taking the entrance exam." At this statement, Izuku's eyes shot wide open as his mouth went slightly agape. _"What the hell Setsuna? You and I said we'd do this together. Don't back out on me at the last second."_ Izuku sorely thought to himself. He took a stabilizing breath as he re-focused his mind.

"I can't say I'm not disappointed… but I expect you to tell me the reason when we meet up for ramen, after I get my acceptance letter." He bounced back cheerfully as he looked at the greenette.

She flashed a razor sharp smile at him in turn with a small twinkle in her eye. "Ooooo, someone might be a bit overconfident. Alright then hotshot, knock 'em dead out there."

Izuku gave her a smile back and turned to walk back towards the gates. "Oh and one last thing," Setsuna spoke up, causing Izuku to turn back and face her over his shoulder. The young man's eyes went wide as Setsuna stood behind him and planted a quick kiss softly on his cheek. His face flushed scarlet and hot as she spoke up again, "That's for good luck. Don't ruin our plans for that date!"

With her teasing completed, Setsuna took a few steps back and waved to Izuku before walking away from the school gates leaving him by himself in the mass of students walking towards the entrance exam. Izuku held a hand up to his cheek in surprise and turned to walk towards the auditorium that was designated for the written test and orientation as he thought, _"Well I wasn't expecting that kiss. And wait… she said a 'date'... right? I mean, she's usually super flirty, but I thought it was just to mess with me-"_ Izuku's thoughts were interrupted as his foot snagged on a loose cobblestone of the building's courtyard. _"And now I guess I'll just fall and die here…"_

Izuku's eyes snapped shut as his arms shot forward to catch his fall. Instead of feeling his arms recoil from the impact with the pavement, he instead felt what seemed to be a slap on his back. He opened his eyes to see that he had instead stopped mid air. His whole body was levitating a few centimeters off the ground. Confused about his current situation, Izuku turned back to face the force that had hit him on the back.

"Sorry, I know I shouldn't be using my quirk, especially without asking you… but it'd probably be bad luck for you to faceplant before even taking the exam." Izuku was stunned by the girl who appeared behind him. She had warm brown hair that was styled in a bob cut that framed her head. Her round face seemed very bright and cheery, with similarly chocolate-brown eyes and what appeared to be constant blush marks on her cheeks. She gave a smile to Izuku as she moved his floating body right side up, then she touched her fingertips together. Suddenly, all of Izuku's weight seemed to return to him and his feet contacted the pavement.

"Oh, uh… it's ah, not a problem. Thanks for helping me." Izuku managed to fumble out as the girl helped him regain his bearings. She gave another cheerful smile at his reply then turned to head back towards the entrance of the building.

"Good luck with the exam!" She shouted back to Izuku as she walked into the building. He could only manage a dazed nod as his thoughts were clouded by, _"wow, she was pretty cute… and she seemed pretty nice! Most people wouldn't even give me the time of day around here."_ He quickly however shook away his fleeting thoughts and ran into the building himself as he noticed that the flow of prospective students had slowed to a trickle.

* * *

As luck would have it, when Izuku entered the almost completely packed auditorium he was able to find a seat towards the center of the room that had been left open. Unfortunately for him, it was next to the one person he would have rather avoided during the entire exam. From the seat next to him, Katsumi glared daggers at him. A few seconds of this passed, before she let out a huff and small "tch" before ignoring Izuku and facing the stage. Figuring it'd be best to also treat her like she wasn't there, Izuku tuned her out and faced the stage as well.

Written exams were passed out, and the first segment of the U.A. entrance exam was under way. The questions covered a variety of topics, ranging from normal subjects such as mathematics to concepts such as pro hero law. After about an hour, proctors came back through the auditorium and collected the tests, leaving the students by themselves for a moment.

The auditorium lights dimmed, then a brilliant flash of light briefly illuminated the auditorium as a solitary spotlight lit up the center of a stage. Standing there was a man with gelled up blonde hair. He was sporting what seemed to be a black leather jacket and matching leather pants, with a large speaker covering his neck, while headphones and sunglasses crowned his head and masked his eyes. He spoke up with a booming voice.

"Hey there listeners! Welcome to today's live show! I'm here to host the rules and regulations segment of our practical exam. Are you ready?!" the man animatedly yelled out at the crowd. A cough could be heard from a student as the auditorium continued to sit in silence in response to the man's question. Meanwhile, Izuku had begun internally fanboying, _"Oh my gosh that's Present Mic! I wasn't too sure what the staff at U.A. was like, but being staffed by Pro Heroes is so cool! I try to catch all his podcasts every week, I wonder if I could get an autograph aft-"_ his thoughts were interrupted by an elbow that slammed into his side.

"Deku, shut up for just a minute! You're distracting me. Lock down the fanboy, motormouth." He looked over to see Katsumi scowling in his direction. The boy sheepishly scratched his head and collected his thoughts as he stopped himself from muttering. Facing away from Katsumi, Izuku refocused on the presentation.

"Here's how it's gonna go down, heroes in the making!" Present Mic continued with his outline, "Each of you are gonna be assigned and sent to different City Zones we have setup here at U.A. When there, you're gonna have ten minutes to go around this city and destroy as many fake villains as you can. There's four tiers to these villains: one, two, and three pointers with them getting a bit nastier the higher point value they are. You're gonna want to use your quirks to take out as many of these as you can. Of course a good hero will make sure they aren't sabotaging the heroes around them, do that and we'll make sure to mark you down a few points."

At this point in Present Mic's talk, a large man with combed over hair and glasses shot up from a few rows below Izuku. "May I ask a question?" the man shouted out with his arm outstretched. After a few moments of not receiving a reply, he held up the info pamphlet that corresponded to the ongoing presentation, "It would seem that there is an error here. The pamphlet for the practical says there are four variations of villains while you've only listed off three. Such an error is unbecoming of a renowned school like U.A."

In reply, Present Mic pointed at the student and began to animatedly jump back into the presentation, "Good eye there, Examinee 7111! We didn't get to it yet, but I suppose we'll jump to it now. There are four types of fake villains; however, the last type is a zero pointer. It's a 'gimmick' villain, with only one in each exam area. It's there to be more of an obstacle that will rampage across the city. So do your best to avoid it!" The student who presented the made the outburst, gave a short nod and "thank you for clarifying" before taking a seat again.

With that out of the way, Present Mic spoke up a final time, "Now, it's just about time for you all to get out there and strut your stuff! As you all head out there, I want to send you all out there with two thoughts. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, 'A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer.' Now go out there and show us what you've got. PLUS ULTRA!"

* * *

None of the prospective students had been prepared for the sight before them. Most thought that the "mock city" Present Mic had talked about would end up being something akin to a handful of buildings put together in clusters. What greeted them when they stepped off the shuttle from the main building was what appeared to be a walled city of a few square kilometers. Full size office buildings, apartments, and schools dotted the mock cityscape that could be seen from the outside of the wall.

As Izuku looked around, many of the other students seemed to be shocked at the scale of the city. _"Who wouldn't be though?"_ he thought to himself, _"What seems more amazing though, is the fact that there are multiple testing sites like this across U.A.'s campus. They really are the top of the line for hero training."_ He looked through the crowd, glad to see that Katsumi was nowhere in sight. His eyes did find someone else familiar: the brown haired girl who stopped him from tripping. Izuku moved to try and go to talk to her and wish her luck before the exam began, but was soon stopped by a hand grabbing his shoulder.

"You there. I saw you earlier at the front gate." Izuku gave a small sigh as he turned to face the person. From the manner of speaking, he guessed that it had been the man who interrupted the presentation earlier; and, sadly for Izuku it seemed it was that uptight man. "You tripped and she ended up using her quirk to save you. Don't you think you've bothered her enough for today? She's trying to focus on getting in, as you should be." The other man pointed from where they stood over towards the round-faced woman who seemed to be doing stretches.

Izuku began internally fuming at the chiding from the taller man, but seeing some sense in what he was saying calmed down slightly. "Thanks for your… insight. I'll be sure to keep that in mind." He coolly replied to the other man. Seemingly satisfied with this response, the other man turned away and walked back into the crowd. Not wanting to have to deal with the man again or anyone else like that, Izuku gave up on approaching the woman and instead opted to mentally wish her good luck.

As the students were standing around talking to one another, a thunderous ***BOOM BOOM BOOM*** rang out across the area. Many of the examinees looked around confused at one another, before Present Mic's voice echoed around the area, "What are you all still standing out there for? The test is already started! You're not gonna get any warnings when your out on hero duty… so get cracking!"

In an instant, the group of hundreds of examinees surged towards a large opening in the wall of the city. Izuku shook himself out of his confusion and plunged into the city along with the masses. Within seconds, all the other men and women around him were using their various quirks to travel away from the entrance in search of their prey. _"No time like the present, huh? Just gotta make sure I don't overdo it,"_ Izuku thought to himself. He began focusing on his legs, and green light spread across the pants of his tracksuit.

He took off in a sprint, using his enhanced leg muscles to pass by the competition. As he rounded a faux grocery store on a street corner, he came face to face with a large machine. It was a large forest green robot that stood about a meter taller than Izuku. It had two wide mechanical arms painted with a large number one, and a stockier base that seemed to end in almost tank treads. What appeared to be it's head swiveled and 'faced' Izuku. A large red lens like object sat in the middle of its head and seemed to stare at the young man.

"Target locked. Termination imminent." A rumbling voice echoed out from the machine. As Izuku faced down the machine, he focused himself, _"This is what I've been training for, it's time to put my quirk to work and show off what I can do."_ He took a deep breath, then stopped focusing on his leg muscles. _"I want my arm to be harder than this robot in front of me so I can smash this damn thing."_ The green light disappeared from his pants, and after a moment of focus it reappeared on his right arm. Similarly, the main 'torso' unit of the robot seemed to start to glow with a green light. Izuku clenched his teeth and pulled his arm back as he balled his hand into a fist. He pitched his arm forward towards the robot, fist connecting the with dark green chasis of the machine. With a loud ***CRUNCH*** the metal caved in under his fist, the momentum carrying it through the robot's chest and clear out its back. With a few sad beeps, the machine carened backwards and no longer moved.

"_That was a bit easier than I thought." _Izuku thought to himself as a smile spread across his face, _"Well, one down… but I'll need more than that to get into U.A."_ He turned and ran back the way he came, following the street the opposite way he came. As he came to another intersection, he found another one pointer robot that came out of a nearby alleyway. Before he could focus his energy into punching the machine, a laser blast slammed into the side of the robot cratering the side of it. A well-dressed blonde haired man bowed on the other side of the machine as smoke rose off his belt. He began to say something along the lines of "Merci. Your distraction was welcome." but Izuku ignored the other man and ran off in search of another target.

Another few blocks over, Izuku found a larger 'villain' crawling along the side of the building. It seemed to be designed after a spider: the design being a bulky rectangular torso of about four to five meters off which many large cylindrical legs of about one to two meters jutted. Each leg was emblazoned with a white 3 painted onto them. Presently, it was on the side of a bank in the faux city: the legs of the machine had been slammed into the wall, anchoring it to the side of the building. When Izuku approached, the 'body' of the machine spun around, at which point several red sensors faced him, "Target spotted. Begin elimination."

The machine slowly pulled each leg from the building, then dropped to the ground with a small rumble. As it approached Izuku, it raised one of the legs closest to him prompting him to dive to the side. The street where he had previously been standing had been reduced to a small crater of rubble where the machine's leg was impaled. _"I guess they don't mess around here… U.A. really is something else. They're not the only ones who can hit hard though."_ Izuku thought to himself. Another leg tried to slam down near him, cratering the street and also getting stuck.

As the machine continued to try and stab Izuku with its legs, a plan formed in the young man's mind. When the machine stabbed the ground Izuku had just been standing on, he focused on the concrete the leg had cracked. A green haze spread around the ground near the leg, then across the robot's leg itself. Shortly after, the ground seemed to crack under the weight of the robot before completely liquifying. Within a matter of seconds, the other feet of the robot had the green haze spread across them before engulfing the entire robot. With a loud ***CRACK*** the machine slammed directly into the ground, breaking the concrete and machinery in the process. With a low whine and a few beeps, the robot now half trapped in concrete and pancaked against the ground shuddered then stopped moving. _"And that's four points. Though I guess I should be a bit less flashy. I need to focus on getting more points before they're all gone."_

With that, Izuku had taken off across the city in search of more points. Through various methods- one situation involving the manipulation of the electrical wiring to short circuit a villain, another time causing a building's foundation to crumble onto a group of smaller villains, and yet another instance using increased speed to lead two villains to crash into and incapacitate themselves - Izuku had managed to get a healthy amount of exam points.

"Two minute mark!" A voice rang out across the city. Shortly after a rumbling sound rang out across the city as buildings began to collapse in the city center.

* * *

**Meanwhile, in the Exam Control Room**

"It appears that we have a plethora of candidates that would excel at U.A." spoke one figure seated towards the side of the room. A few other figures nodded and voiced their agreement.

"Yes, it would seem that way," spoke a voice from the center of the room. All eyes turned to the figure who seemed to be seated at a mixture of a control panel and monitoring station. It continued, "Being a hero goes beyond just being able to take down villains though. You must have the ability to analyze and adapt to difficult situations. By limiting their time while giving them a large battlefield, we can take stock of who shows these qualities and see those who excel." This earned a few murmurs and nods of agreement from the various figures around the room.

The central voice spoke up again, "Oh my, how time does fly. It seems like the exam is almost over. It's time to separate the wheat from the chaff. See how these prospective heroes will hold up under pressure." The figure then leaned forward and pushed a large red button on the console before them.

* * *

"_I know they said that the Zero pointer would be an obstacle, but this seems like complete overkill,"_ Izuku grumbled to himself. As the dust and rubble cleared from air, the source of the rumbling in the city center became apparent: A titanic machine, easily double the height of the surrounding buildings, had emerged within the cratered city center only about a block from where Izuku currently stood. As soon as the goliath was above ground, it began to swing it's massive arms around reducing nearby buildings and other smaller villains to rubble and scrap. Dust blew down the streets, impairing the contestants vision as chunks of infrastructure rained from the sky.

"_I should probably follow Present Mic's advice and just avoid that while I get some last minute points,"_ Izuku thought to himself as he turned to dash the opposite direction of the giant. Many other examinees had already taken this route, using whatever means necessary to put themselves as far away as possible from the monster of a machine. He turned and began to prepare to sprint down the next street, only to be distracted by a pained scream of "Owwww".

Izuku turned to face towards the faint cry of pain, something seemingly familiar about the voice. His eyes squinted, searching through the falling dust for the source of the sound. His eyes widened as he found the origin: the kind woman he had stopped him from tripping had been pinned to the ground under a large piece of rubble. A massive piece of concrete had been dislodged from a nearby building and seemingly had collapsed onto one of her legs. She seemed to reach down and slap the concrete piece, after which it floated slightly up allowing her to crawl out from under it. She shakily stood up and began to walk away from the scene with a limp, pausing every few feet to lean against a nearby wall.

"_Damnit, why am I just standing here… I should help her."_ Izuku berated himself as he watched the girl limp down the street. A movement behind her caught his eye though. The zero pointer had been steadily rolling down the street, and seemed to have locked onto her. It raised it's mechanical arm high, preparing itself to smash the oblivious woman. Before Izuku had even realized it, he had taken off in a sprint towards the injured woman, the only thought on his mind, _"Hopefully All Might's quirk gives me the boost I need to at least buy her the time to get away."_

Gritting his teeth, Izuku focused on his arms a green light starting to shine across the tracksuit, _"I just need to make my arms hard enough to block its attack so she can get a bit further away."_ With a leap past the injured girl he shouted out, "I've got you, get as far away as you can while I buy you some time," at the same time throwing his arms up in an "X" above his head. As the giant mechanical fist- easily the size of a minivan- collided with his arms, Izuku crumpled to his knees beneath the force and weight of the monstrous machine. The force of the impact had shredded the arms of his tracksuit, while large purple bruises formed on his forearms where the brunt of the attack had been taken. He turned back to face the woman who had stopped to catch her breath and taken a moment to look on the scene in horror.

Remembering what All Might had said to him while training, "A true hero must continue to smile in the face of adversity, to let everyone around them know that it'll be okay," Izuku slowly pushed back on the mechanical arm til the robot withdrew the giant hunk of metal, then he turned and flashed the woman as much of a grin as he grit his teeth through the pain of his bruised arms. _"I can't let it punch towards us again, my body won't be able to hold up against that again and it'll crush us both flat… I need to try taking this thing down."_ A picture of All Might popped up in Izuku's head, the hero jumping towards the machine and delivering a mighty smash.

"_What'd he say to me again? 'Clench your butt and with everything in your being pull your fist back and let it fly with a cry of SMASH'?"_ Izuku pulled himself back to his feet, shakily and looked up at the mechanical titan. He took a shaky step forward, followed by another, each slowly getting faster than the prior one until he took off into a sprint. His legs slowly became enveloped in a green light as parts of his tracksuit ripped away exposing his calves. With a grunt of effort, he threw himself towards the robot in a mighty leap, rocketing from the ground towards the machine's 'head'. As he soared through the air, he pulled back his right arm and balled his hand into a fist. The green light disappeared from his legs and reappeared shining brightly on his right arm. The entire limb seemed to swell up as he swung it forward with a mighty cry of "SMASH!"

The world seemed to slow for Izuku as his fist made contact with the metal of the machine: the limb tore through the casing and armor of the robot with ease, cratering in the 'head'. With a loud groan, the machine slowly pitched back and collapsed onto the ground, reducing several buildings behind it to rubble.

As the robot toppled over, Izuku began to feel his quirk's usage catch up with him. He looked down to find himself several stories in the air, rapidly falling back down towards the solid ground. _"Maybe I can harden my legs or decrease my mass and try to float down or-"_ suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by shooting pain spreading from all his limbs. His eyes snapped from the ground to his forearms, now slightly swollen and purple, then to his legs which seemed to be whipping around in the air as he fell. _"Oh… ok. Well that might be sprained… or broken." _Panic started to set in as the ground got closer and Izuku's eyes strained to stay open. _"I've got to do something… but I'm just so… worn down…"_ with that final thought, Izuku's eyes snapped shut and his body went limp.

* * *

Ochaco Uraraka had been having a pretty good day. The boy she had meet at the front gate had been pretty cute, especially when he got flustered trying to thank her. Then the written exam had been slightly easier than she expected. But that all seemed moot now. The zero pointer had been far larger and more surprising than any of them expected. And getting her leg pinned by a piece of rubble had just exacerbated the problem of her proximity to the zero pointer.

She had been able to touch the piece of concrete and use her quirk to shift it off her body, but the damage was done: the force of the collision with her leg had left her barely able to walk, let alone stand. She grit her teeth and stood back up, _"I got this far already. I can't just give up here with mom and dad counting on me."_ She took a few shaky steps, limping away from the robot. Ochaco could feel the rumble of the earth as the machine began to move about the city, but she didn't dare look back to see where it was going.

A few more steps down the street, and the pain in her leg proved to be too much. Ochaco leaned up against a nearby storefront to catch her breath and relieve the pressure on her injured leg. As she did, she saw a flash of green speed past her back towards the way she came. She was able to vaguely make out the person saying something along the lines, "I've got this! Get out of here." She nodded her head in thanks to the stranger, and keep walking until a loud ***BOOM*** echoed through the city. This got enough of her attention to turn around and look at the figured.

"He's the one from earlier today!" Ochaco let out a gasp of realization as she saw the green curly haired boy. He seemed to have miraculously stopped the robot's arm from slamming into the street she was walking on, but was being forced to his knees by the force of the impact. With another yell, the man seemed to shove off the arm and drag himself back to his feet. If that wasn't enough of a surprise for her, the man then started **running** at the machine before leaping through the air at the robot. With a tremendous shout again, he made impact with the machine and the entire thing toppled backwards.

"_Wow, I knew the people who'd be here today are pretty amazing, but I never thought I'd see something like this today."_ Ochaco thought as she stared slackjaw at the scene. As she continued to stare at the man, she came to realize something though, _"Wait a second, he's just falling head first towards the ground… can't he stop himself?"_ After a few seconds of seeing him being unmoving, Ochaco sprung into action: putting aside the pain of her sprained or broken leg, she tried running down the street towards the falling man.

"_If I can just get there in time, I might be able to stop or at least slow him…" _ As the man's body hurtled towards the ground only a few meters from impacting, Ochaco leapt towards the man hand outstretched. They collided into one another mid-air, with Ochaco's hand slapping the man on the back of his head. She crashed back to the ground with a rough thump, but the man slowed and remained suspended in the air a few centimeters from the city surface.

"And release," she said as she touched her fingertips back together. The man fell to the ground with a soft ***THUMP***. A moment latter, Ochaco also crumpled to the ground. "There, now we're even," she said with a soft smile as she passed out.

* * *

"Can you hear me? Young man, it's time to get up." Izuku heard someone say as he was someone gently touched his shoulder. He let out a large yawn as he groggily opened his eyes. Turning his head towards the source of the voice, he found himself face to face with a short elderly woman. She was wearing a white laboratory coat, along with a purple and pink visor across her face. Her hair was put up in a bun with a syringe holding it in place. Upon seeing her, his brain put the pieces together and he eagerly shot up from his reclined spot to a seated position.

"Oh my god! You're Recovery Girl! It's such an honor to meet you!" At this, the boy bowed his head slightly to the older woman. Izuku then took notice of the fact he was no longer in the center of the faux city where the practical exam was held. After a moment's pause giving Izuku the chance to take in his surroundings, he noticed he was laying in what appeared to be a hospital bed in a nurse's office. Confused at his current predicament, the young man spoke up again, "It's a pleasure to meet you… but where am I right now?"

This earned a small guffaw from the elderly woman who took a stool and moved it next to the bedside before sitting down on it. "You're in my office on U.A.'s campus. It seems like your quirk almost ripped apart your body. You've been passed out for about an hour or so now." She shook her head as she stuck a hand into one of the pockets of her coat, then withdrew it holding out a fist to Izuku. After a moment of confusion, the boy held out a flat hand to her at which point she dropped a few gummies into his hand.

"Here you go young man, eat up. They'll help you recover faster." After making sure he did as she said, she continued, "I had been observing the practical in case I needed to address any emergency cases. That's quite the quirk you have young man. Though I have to say if every time you use it and it backfires this spectacularly your body will fall apart." She offered a hand which Izuku took and she helped him to his feet. He shakily took a step then another. After a moment, he looked down to see his tracksuit had been shredded on his arms and legs and they had been all wrapped in bandages, a soreness echoing throughout his limbs as he struggled to hold himself up.

After a short explanation that she had used her quirk to heal him of most of his fractures and muscle tears, Recovery Girl stressed the need for Izuku to rest then sent him on his way.

* * *

**A Few Days Later**

Upon returning home from the Entrance Exam, Izuku had received quite the dressing down from his mother. Seeing his clothes in tatters and the bandages on his arms and legs nearly caused the poor woman to pass out on the spot. It took a long conversation, reassuring that he was fine and promising he would take the next week easy to get her to finally calm down.

As if that wasn't enough to deal with, he was being hounded by Setsuna who was texting him non-stop about the exam: apparently rumors had been spread around many of the local schools and hangouts of some of the examinees about a student who had punched out one of the zero pointers. After listening to enough of these stories, she was able to connect the dots that the 'plain-looking' and 'curley haired' boy most of these legends talked about were referring to Izuku.

Figuring that it would be impossible for him to convince her that it wasn't him, and remembering the fact that he still owed her what she had called a date- the thought of the word flushing Izuku's face scarlet- leading the man to text and ask her where she wanted to meet up. A change of clothes into a pair of jeans and his favorite All Might hoodie, and Izuku was out the door.

Izuku pulled out his phone to double check he was headed the right direction as he thought, _"She told me to meet her at a place called… Daikaya? Apparently it was a favorite of hers they moved near the beach?"_ Approaching the area he had gotten so familiar with training at the last few months, Izuku was shocked to find that the beach was buzzing with activity. The area had only been fully cleaned days before, but couples and families were sprawled across the sand, while store fronts across from the area were bustling with activity.

The chime of his phone grabbed his attention as he received a message from Setsuna. Opening it revealed a picture of Izuku's back as he faced the beach, along with a message: "Turn around." Spinning back towards the street, Izuku scanned among the crowded sidewalk until he eventually found a hand carved wooden sign hanging from one of the store fronts declaring "**Daikaya Ramen Shop**". He pushed through the crowd gathered along the sidewalk until he found a terrace outside the shop with various tables for patrons of the restaurant.

Izuku's breath hitched as his eyes finally found Setsuna: her hips and legs were accented by a pair of jet black faded jeans, while the top she sported was a loose shirt that had a deep green scale pattern criss-crossing it. A pair of black sunglasses concealed her eyes, but upon him walking towards her, she lowered them towards the tip of her nose and looked over the rims towards Izuku.

"Kept me waiting, huh? Not very gentlemanly." She snarkily said to him as he walked to the table. With a small laugh she rose to meet Izuku as he got closer.

"That's rich coming from you. I thought you said we were gonna celebrate after I got into U.A.?" Izuku shot back. She scoffed slightly at the remark before firing back.

"Well, judging by the stories going around about a certain curly green haired man, if even a tenth of what they say is true then the entire staff of the school would have had their eyes glued on you during the practical." Her eyes narrowed as she took notice of the bit of bandage peeking out from under his hoodie sleeves, "And judging the state your arms are in, I'd guess what happened is true?"

Izuku sighed and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to come up with a reply. "Tell you what: Let's grab some food, then I'll tell you what happened." He took a few steps towards the door to the inside of the shop, then paused as his expression soured to add, "And don't think I forgot… you still owe me an explanation of why you didn't end taking the exam."

Two orders of Tonkotsu ramen later, payment from Izuku, and the two of them were seated back at the table Setsuna had been previously at outside the shop. Izuku was the first to speak up, "I guess I'll get my story out of the way, considering I'm the one who lost our bet and today is my treat."

A few minutes later, he had finished regaling Setsuna with the actual story of what happened during the practical. Setsuna sat in contemplative silence as he finished, then leaned over and gave him a playful punch to the arm. "And you think that after something like that they wouldn't let you into U.A.? If anything, you're probably number one on their list right now." She smiled at Izuku as their eyes met, but her gaze soon drifted back down to his arms as her eyebrows furrowed. "But I can't believe how hurt you ended up. I thought your quirk only left you tired or sore? This is way beyond that."

Izuku's smile faded away at the subject and his eyes seemed to cloud over as he recalled the punching the robot. "I'm not really sure what happened. Usually I can control how much I want to push my body or change the environment around me." He trailed off for a moment before resuming with a hint of fear creeping into his voice, "But something **felt** off. I knew I wanted to try jumping towards this thing and hit it… but when I actually did it, it felt like I couldn't control how much I was exerting my muscles."

Their order was called and Izuku took the opportunity to stand and grab their dishes. A moment later he returned, but when he sat back down his face was down towards his bowl. Setsuna tentatively moved her hand closer to his on the table, then took the plunge and placed hers on top of his. The action got Izuku's attention, causing him to look up at her and in the process exposed his face which was slick with tears.

"Hey, look at me Izzy. I've got you. No matter how difficult things get, I know you have the power to push through it. And if you ever end up coming up against something that's too much for you, you can sit back and leave it to me." Setsuna gave him a soft smile as she reached up and brushed some stray tears from Izuku's cheeks. She held a hand up to his cheek for a few more moments, the two savoring the contact, before she lowered it back to the table.

Setsuna let out a small laugh, "This may be a bad time to bring up my news, but uh… the reason I didn't take the Entrance Exam with you is because-" she took a deep breath then continued by rapidly spitting out the words, "I'malreadyaccepted." Izuku tilted his head in confusion as he tried to decipher what Setsuna meant.

"Wait wait. What do you mean you're already accepted. Did you take the exam ahead of time or something?" She shook her head "no" in response. She nervously deflected his gaze by looking down and began fidgeted with her hands for a few seconds before she spoke up again.

"Not exactly… I sorta don't have to do all of that. I just got in with a recommendation to the school." The two sat in silence as Izuku soaked up the news and Setsuna went back to fidgeting with her hands. She heard the chair across from her creak, and she saw Izuku get up and move towards her. A moment later his arms wrapped around her in a tight embrace as he started laughing.

"Wow! That's amazing! I never really considered the possibility that students were admitted like that. Congrats!" He pulled out of the embrace showing a large goofy grin was plastered to his face. Setsuna looked up at him, her face struggling between confusion and a smile in response to Izuku's response.

"You're… happy for me? But why? Everyone else has to work hard and only gets a chance to get into U.A. Meanwhile I feel like I cheate-" she flinched back as Izuku slammed a bandaged hand down onto the table and stood from his chair. She shakily looked up towards Izuku to see fire behind his eyes.

"Bullshit, Setsuna. Don't be kidding yourself. In the time I've known you, you've proven yourself to be a clever and skilled person." Realizing he had been almost yelling, he took a breath and sat back down. "Listen, sure you might not have been forced through the same problems everyone else did, but that's because U.A. recognizes you have the talent to go there. That's something you should be proud of." This time, he reached a hand across the table to hold hers.

"Setsuna. I like you. I enjoy the time we spend together. If I didn't I wouldn't have come to meet with you today, let alone talk to you as much as I do." He took a deep breath, then squeezed Setsuna's hand, "I like this… I like us. More importantly… I like you. I know you've been pretty flirty, and I never knew if that meant you were actually into me but I just-" Izuku was cut off before he could finish by Setsuna's detaching her head and floating it across the table to lock her lips with his.

"Is that a good enough answer?" she giggled as she reattached her head, with Izuku only dumbly nodding in response.

* * *

**One Week After the Exam**

A week had passed since the U.A. Entrance Exam and only a handful of days since Izuku and Setsuna had became a couple. On one hand, the young man was on cloud nine due to the development in their relationship. On the other, he had been a nervous wreck awaiting any word from U.A. Judgement Day for the entrance exam should've been drawing nigh, with the officials promising word of acceptance or denial would go out within around a week.

Izuku had been in the middle of watching an old video of All Might rescuing civilians from a caved in building, when an excited shout from his mother echoed through the house, "Izuku! It's here, the letter is finally here!" Inko rushed into his room, slightly out of breath with a plain looking envelope outstretched in her hand. The only sign that it was from the prestigious school was a small red wax seal emblazoned with the letters U.A. Once he took the letter, his mother quietly left the room, closing the door on the way out.

"_I- I can't believe it… it's time for me to finally know…"_ he continued to stare at the envelope in his hand before firmly grabbing both sides and pulling it open. As he did so, a letter fluttered to his desk, while a small round metal disk fell onto the surface with a ***THUMP***. A few moments later, and light started to shoot out of the top until a small screen formed in the air. _"Is this a projection?"_

After a few moments of sputtering, a familiar sharply dressed man, "**I AM HERE!** And this is a projection of your exam results!" Izuku looked on the screen slack jawed and baffled, _"All Might? Why is he in my announcement?"_ A few seconds later and the man began speaking again, "I actually came to town to teach at U.A., but I'm not here to talk to you about that. Young Midoriya, I'm here to speak of your potential future!"

All Might pointed directly towards Izuku, "You did exceedingly well on the written exam, and also showed great potential with your quirk and quick thinking during the practical exam." He paused as he let the information sink in before continuing, "There was a problem however when it came to you facing down the zero pointer. Recovery Girl said that you shredded most of your arms and legs destroying the robot, and much of the evaluating staff wanted to disqualify you for lacking self control with your quirk."

Izuku's eyes began to get moist with tears, _"This is it… I'm just back at square one. They won't want someone whose body breaks and leaves them defenseless-"_ All Might's voice rang out again cutting through his thoughts, "**BUT**, besides examining how well you took out the fake villains during the practical there was another aspect we didn't tell you all about: We wanted to see those who exemplify the qualities of a hero. We have a short clip we'd like to show you." At this point, a video replaced All Might showing Izuku blocking the zero pointer from hitting the young woman he had met earlier in the day. It then sped up to show him destroying the zero pointer, and being saved from falling to his death by the young woman. Afterwards, the image returned to showing All Might.

"Young Midoriya, one of the most noble qualities a hero can have is sacrificing themselves for the good of others. What sort of hero academy would we be if we looked down on people who performed such actions? For this reason, we have another category built into the exam and have awarded you and this young lady forty rescue points each." He paused, then spread his arms wide with a large smile on his face, "Young Midoriya, you scored far above and beyond what would be needed to welcome you as a student here."

"Izuku Midoriya, you've come so far since I've met you and I'm incredibly proud to have known you…" All Might continued, as the projection device shot little bits of confetti into the air. At this point Izuku had let his tears freely flow down his cheeks as he sobbed.

"WELCOME! TO YOUR NEW HERO ACADEMY!"

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**  
Sorry for the late chapter! I've been trying to publish at least once a week on the weekends, but I ended up getting distracted with a hunt for a new apartment.

If you'd like to come discuss the work, things pertaining to other works I've done, or become a beta for this work - join my discord at /xFuDyVM

As always, I do not own 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia, this is a fan-work:  
It is the work of Kōhei Horikoshi, serialized by Weekly Shōnen Jump, and animated by Bones.  
The English release is provided by Viz Media and Funimation.

Please Support the Official Releases.


	7. Chapter 7

_Italics_ denotes an individual's thoughts

**Bold **denotes large time shifts/ or introductions of new settings; also may be used for emphasis

Line dividers denote a smaller scene or time shift

**Ch. 7: Dawn of a New Day**

"I-I just can't believe… my baby is all grown up!" Inko Midoriya managed to choke out within a continuous stream of sobs. She had been hysterical most of the night before when Izuku had come out of his room and opened the door to share the news of his acceptance to U.A. with her. The pure joy at his dreams being realized caused the woman to break down in tears of joy with her son; but, the news that all U.A. students were expected to live in the Heights Alliance dorms on campus soon had her flooding the room with tears of sorrow.

The night gave way to morning, and Inko had been able to hold herself together long enough for the two to pack up his belongings. A few minutes of moving cardboard boxes throughout the house, and the family car was packed up for the move. The boxes covered in labels ranging from "**FRAGILE** Merchandise" to "Toiletries" had been carefully arranged into the old hatchback, until it seemed the boxes were threatening to burst from the back seat and trunk.

Izuku stepped back into the house and took a look around his room wistfully: he had packed a decent amount of his hero memorabilia and personal effects to bring to what would effectively be his new home for the years to come, but much of his collection would remain here. Descending down the stairs to the entryway of the house brought up other memories as he walked back towards the front door: walking through the kitchen and gently dragging his fingers across the countertop reminded him of the rice balls and katsudon his mother used to make after especially bad days at school. Stepping through the adjoining room with their couch and T.V. brought up memories of his mother and him relaxing under the kotatsu during New Years.

With tears welling up in his eyes, Izuku quickened his pace and walked to the front door of the house. In a matter of seconds, he had flown down the entryway and out towards the car where his mother was still making sure he had all his necessities packed away. The boy approached his mother and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. She turned and returned the action, neither saying anything and simply basking in the warmth of the moment.

The ride to U.A. was mostly quiet, only the faint chirp of birds and the cicada-like hum of traffic cutting through the still air. The golden sun had drifted lazily through the sky as the car crossed town, until the Midoriya's reached their destination around mid-day. Now at the school gates, a presentation of the letter received from the school to the guards out front was all that was necessary for the "impenetrable" barrier to the school grounds to be dropped long enough for the family to pass through. Inko pulled the car into a parking spot near the dormitories, then turned to her son.

"I- I'm just so proud of you Izuku! You showed everyone you have what it takes to be there… and even more than that, that you have what it takes to be in Class 1-A." She beamed at her son as tears moistened her eyes, "You've just grown up, so fast-" At this her smile slipped and she collapsed into sobs once again. Izuku awkwardly reached over and tried to wrap his mother into another hug as she slowly regained control of her breathing.

After a few short moments together, the two exited the car and began to unload all the boxes. Inko spoke up once again at intervals as Izuku removed the packages, "Now make sure to call me during the week," to which he responded with a "uh huh".

She followed this up with other slivers of wisdom such as, "Don't forget to brush your teeth," and "Be nice to the other students," making Izuku more and more exasperated at each item she added to his mental checklist. At this point the car was mostly empty, and Izuku had tuned out most of the nuggets of "wisdom" his mother was continuing to pass on.

"Oh, an- and Izuku." Inko's tone became slightly more serious as she fought back another wave of sobs, "I have a going away gift for you… I know it's nothing fancy or as new as what they can offer here, but I wanted you to have a bit of home during your studies here." She pulled out a large, hand-wrapped box from the floor of the car behind his seat. Izuku reached out and took the box with a quizzical expression on his face. After a small gesture from her to "go ahead" he eagerly tore into the paper of the package and opened the box. Inside was what appeared to be a modified dark green tracksuit: the elbows and knees seemed to have pads sewn onto them, while gloves dangled at the end of the sleeves.

"I thought as you prepared to fight criminals, it'd be nice to have something special to wear to protect you during training. It's alright if you don't like it, I know it's nothing fancy," Inko said shakily as she fidgeted nervously with her hands. Izuku looked at the outfit in his hands, then back towards his mother. In a step he was next to her, his free arm wrapping around her reassuringly.

"I love it! I'd be honored to wear it," he murmured excitedly to her. Perking up at this, she looked at her son and then turned towards the package he was holding. "Oh! I almost forgot," Inko said, as she noticed her son's eyes trailing to a book still left in the bottom of the box." She thrust her hands into it, then pulled out what seemed to be a spiral bound notebook which she held out for Izuku to see. The title read "**Midoriya Family Meals**".

"You're gonna be responsible for cooking your own food going forward. I don't want you crawling back to me starving, or overweight from eating only instant ramen, next time I see you." Inko flipped the book open and thumbed through some pages, "I have all your favorites here, along with some other healthy recipes I looked up. I know you're not used to cooking, but no better way to learn then through trial and error!" She snapped the book shut, then placed it back into the box Izuku was holding. He placed the box back onto the seat of the car, then took another moment to embrace his mother.

"Thanks… for everything. I'll make sure to make you proud!" He let her out of the hug, and with a few more tears and smiles shared between the two, Inko went back into the car. The engine roared to life, and moments later Izuku was standing with his moving packages in front of 1-A Heights Alliance dorm. He took a few moments to move the packages from the curb next to the front door, then took a deep breath before plunging into the building.

* * *

The glass doors of the entryway opened to a spacious lobby area: directly in front of Izuku across the building was a hallway that had a single elevator on each side, and what appeared to be more rooms on the other end. To his left was a series of couches arranged around a coffee table and flatscreen T.V., while to the right was a full kitchen along with several tables arranged nearby. As Izuku took a tentative step towards the hallway, a stern voice rang out from over near the kitchen.

"Ah, it seems another class and dorm mate is here. How can I be of assist-"

The voice cut off as a bespeckled man with combed over dark blue hair wearing a set of blue and black workout clothes approached. He sprinted in the blink of an eye, rapidly materializing in front of Izuku. "You! You were the chatterbox who was mumbling about Present Mic during his presentation at the exam. How did someone like you get in here?" All Izuku could do was stare at the taller man as he continued on unabashedly, "You're also the one that I've heard punched out the zero pointer, so you must have some skill…" The man seemed to step back and size Izuku up again, before thrusting a hand straight out towards Izuku, "Very well, I am Tenya Iida! At your service."

"Tenya, was it? Nice to meet you. I'm Izuku Midoriya." He managed to respond. Izuku stiffened up again once the handshake dropped, as Tenya continued to maintain his stiff posture and piercing gaze. The new man stiffly gestured to one of the nearby tables before speaking up again.

"I was the first to arrive here, at which a staff member I met asked me to ensure the students get their dorm room keys. Such an embarrassment to the school should not be allowed by the staff, that they would slack off and pass off such an important role." Izuku rolled his eyes slightly in response to Tenya's short speech before following him to the table. Tenya whipped his head back and forth looking at the keys which were neatly organized into rows as he muttered to himself, "... let's see, you're a male… so that'll be from the right column… and the second and third floors are already full…" After deliberating with himself he snatched up a key and turned back to hand it to Izuku.

"Here you are, Izuku Midoriya! You will be on the fourth floor, room one. The key and your door will have a matching number of 401 so you don't forget." Tenya then dropped the key into Izuku's open palm. "Also! Do you require any assistance moving in your packages?" Tenya followed up with stiffly. A short "no thank you" from Izuku and Tenya turned and walked back to sit at the table with the keys, "Then I shall remain here unless otherwise needed!"

"_Yeah… he's gonna take awhile to get used to…"_ Izuku thought to himself as he walked back out to grab his boxes. He stretched his legs and arms, then focused on the idea of moving all the boxes to his new room. _"It should be fine if I use my quirk to get all this stuff at least into the elevator… right? A hero school wouldn't just expel someone for using their quirk for everyday life... I hope."_ With that sobering thought, Izuku's arms and legs began to glow with a green light. He bent over and grabbed as many of the boxes as he could manage to find room for in his arms, before rocketing through the lobby into the elevator. Another trip in a similar manner, and he was panting from exertion as the lift carried him to the fourth floor.

Izuku quickly removed the boxes from the elevator, then studied his surroundings: the elevator opened to a narrow hallway, at the end of which it had placards declaring rooms 401 through 404 were on the left side of the fork, while rooms 405 through 408 were on the right side. After getting his bearings, he returned to the elevator and laboriously went through the process of moving his belongings towards his new room.

A twist of the key into room 401's hole, and Izuku was greeted to his new life: inside he found a room of about 15 square meters, with a balcony on the far side of the room that was accessed through glass doors. To the left wall was a standard tanned wooden dresser, four drawers high and two wide. Next to the dresser was a similarly bland wooden desk and cheap rolling chair tucked underneath it. To the far right in the back corner of the room was a modest matching wooden bed frame and mattress, about two meters long and slightly under a meter wide. On his immediate right was a door left slightly ajar. Izuku walked towards it discovering that the room was an attached bathroom: it contained a single toilet and sink, with the checkered black and white tile of the room contrasting with the wooden floor right outside in the main area. Returning to the main room, Izuku took one more look around the room and finally took notice of the closet directly across from the bathroom, and the small mini fridge between the bathroom door and bed.

Having finished taking stock of his new living space, Izuku returned back to the hallway, and propped the door with one of his moving boxes. With the entrance now exposed, he set about methodically moving the packages inside and arranging them in places that would make unpacking the simplest.

About an hour had passed, the young man settling into almost a trance as he worked, and Izuku's room was completely decorated. The balcony doors were covered by red, white, and blue striped curtains that had stars accenting the blue stripes, mimicking the pattern of All Might's costume. Meanwhile, Izuku had placed various bits of memorabilia and knick-knacks across his desk: a sleek black desk lamp, then an All Might bobble head and pencil holder, followed by pictures of his mother, himself and All Might in his true form along the beach, then a picture of him and Setsuna from their date last week. The walls were graced with copious amounts of hero posters and placards: the majority were focused on the number one hero, with a particularly large poster positioned above the desk showing All Might punching forward with the word "SMASH" emblazoned beneath his fist. Another was put on the wall next to the door: on it Present Mic was posing with his arms crossed, the name and frequency of his radio station slapped across the poster haphazardly. Yet another had been placed on the wall between the refrigerator and bed: this one showing off the number five pro hero, Mirko, mid air kicking down towards the camera. In contrast to the fanboy atmosphere given off by much of the room, Izuku elected to use a simple bed set of plain green sheets.

* * *

Satisfied with how his room had turned out, Izuku elected to take a break from all the unpacking to text Setsuna:

"Hey? Whatcha up to? Did you move in yet? It's been a complete ghost town here so far. Seems like most of my classmates either already moved in or are out for the day." Izuku pocketed his key and went back into the hallway then onto the elevator. As he hit the button for lobby, his phone vibrated as Setsuna rapid fire texted him back.

"I overslept a bit this morning, so I'm headed over now."

"I still can't believe you got into 1A, and they stuck me in B Class."

Izuku shot back with, "It does seem a bit crazy that for someone who was recommended to the school, they didn't put you in the top class."

"You're gonna have to be careful, or I'll end up taking your seat there." Setsuna fired back with a winking emoji.

"Anyways, you need help getting set up when you're here?" He questioned her, as the elevator opened up and stepped out. Izuku was left to himself for a few moments as a long silence filled the space while Setsuna was responding. He looked around the area to see if anything had changed, but it still seemed that Tenya was the only one on the floor, sitting stiffly in a chair next to the table that held all the room keys. He turned at the sound of Izuku exiting the elevator and delivered a brief wave of the hand, that appeared to be more like a chop through the air. Izuku's phone buzzed again revealing another message from Setsuna.

"Wow… how naughty of you Izzy, I can't believe you'd just invite yourself into a girl's room." As Izuku quickly fumbled trying to type a new message, another came in from Setsuna.

"I'm just joking, I should be fine for now. Go ahead and stick around to meet some other people, I'll text you if I need help… or a late night hookup." She threw in another winking emoji and string of hearts.

Izuku put aside his interest in her flirtatious offer and pocketed his phone. Then against his better judgement, made his way back over towards Tenya to try striking up a conversation with the other man.

"Yo," Izuku said as he approached him. Tenya jolted up awkwardly from his position at the table as Izuku neared him. His arm chopped through the air in what appeared to be an extremely stiff wave.

"Ah, Midoriya. I didn't expect to see you again so soon. What can I do for you?" Upon hearing himself called by his family name, Izuku stiffened up briefly before shaking off the feeling and continuing.

"I just wanted to come back down and say hello." After a brief pause he continued, "You can also just call me Izuku, I think it'd be nicer if we could be a bit friendly and familiar with each other seeing as we'll likely be around each other a lot going forward." Tenya held a hand up to his chin in thought, then nodded his head eagerly in agreement.

"Very well Mido… Izuku. Let me introduce myself once again. I am Tenya Iida! But you may call me Tenya if you wish." The blue haired man held out a hand, which Midoriya grasped and shook. Another brief silence settled between the two as Izuku sat down across the table from Tenya.

"Wait… Tenya Iida… Iida…" Izuku closed his eyes and scrunched his face in thought as he tried to remember why the name sounded familiar. Just as quickly, his eyes popped open with a look of awe gracing his face, "You wouldn't be part of the Iida family? Their heroics are legendary! I'm a huge fan of Ingenium! Could I get an autograph?" Izuku took a breath and tried to cool down his fanboying slightly to see that Tenya had puffed up slightly with pride at the mention of his family. He adjusted his glasses, then gave a smile to Izuku.

"Yes, it seems you're familiar with my family's deeds, as well as my brother… I'll see what I can do next time I see him." Hearing this, Izuku perked up and was quickly grinning ear to ear. His face swapped to a contemplative look as he pulled out a pen and one of his hero journals.

"You wouldn't mind if I ask you a few questions?" Getting no response either way from Tenya, Izuku pushed on, "My understanding is that your family has speed based quirks? Or a line of similar if not the same quirk?" Tenya snapped his attention back to Izuku and took on a more stiff posture as he seemed to switch back to a business oriented mindset.

"Our quirks allow us to move extremely fast due to engines that are embedded within our limbs. In the case of my brother, he has them within his arms. Where in my case," Tenya paused to stand up and turn one of his legs sideways for Izuku, "Mine are within my calves." True to his words, little holes seemed to be cut in the pant legs, exposing small clusters of exhaust pipes sprouting out of each hole.

Izuku continued to rapidly write as he looked on in awe at the other man. After finishing his current note, he looked up with an embarrassed blush on his face, "To be honest, looking at Ingenium, I actually thought that the pipes on his hero costume were purely decoration… it never occurred to me it was linked to his quirk." Tenya let out a small laugh before covering his mouth with his hand and quickly returning to his normal stoic expression.

"If you don't mind my asking Mido- I mean, Izuku: why the interest in my quirk and all the writing in that notebook?" After a second of deliberation, Izuku carefully slid the book across the table as he explained it's contents to Tenya.

"I see… so it's a record of all the heroes or aspiring heroes that you've met and all of their quirks and traits?" Tenya clenched his fist as a strained look crossed his face, "Ingenious! I can't believe I hadn't thought of this. The best way to become a pro is by studying the pros!" Tenya continued to skim through the book, before closing it back over and sliding it to Izuku.

"I can't help but notice that this is book number fifteen? You wouldn't mind if I examined some of the other ones you have at-" Before Tenya could finish asking Izuku about the rest of his notes, a loud ruckus was heard from outside that grabbed both of their attentions. The echoing sound of an explosion, followed by several heavy objects clattering across the ground got the two man to jump to their feet.

"I think I'll regret saying this… but you think we should check that out?" Izuku questioned of Tenya. The other man gave a small nod and "affirmative", at which point they went towards the building's door.

After exiting the dorm, Izuku and Tenya found themselves in the midst of a heated argument between a buxom blonde woman with spiky hair and her almost identical looking daughter. As the two men exited the building, they were greeted by a much louder *BANG* as the daughter released another explosion from her hands, knocking moving boxes away from the car the family was next to.

"I told you I'd move in myself you old hag! I don't need you sticking around here and hovering around me." The girl released much quieter explosions from her hands as they curled into fists at her side, and she turned her back on her mother. Her mother stood next to her not saying or doing anything in response, until… *SMACK* she brought a hand down hard hitting the back of the girl's head.

"What have I told you about respecting your elders, especially your father and me!" She shook her head slightly as she chidded the young woman, "I swear Katsumi, it'll be a miracle if they decide to let you stay here with that awful personality of yours." This in turn sparked another round of yelling between mother and daughter in the middle of the parking lot.

Tenya could only stare slack-jawed in bewilderment at what was unfolding. He turned to Izuku to see that he wasn't phased at all by what was occurring. "Midori- No, Izuku. How are you reacting so calmly to this shameless display?! I've never seen someone so ill mannered in my life!" Tenya questioned as a slight amount of disgust began to creep into his tone and expression.

Izuku turned to look at Tenya as the fight between the two women seemed to simmer down, and with a sigh explained, "That's because she's my childhood friend." Tenya narrowed his eyes and looked back in forth between Izuku and the explosive woman trying to find some common thread, but after a few moments resigned to questioning him again.

"I can't think of a way to put this kindly… was she a different person as a child?" Tenya asked, confusion apparent on his face. Before Izuku could answer, two shouts rang out from the direction of the women.

"Izu-chan~!" "DEKU!" At once both of the women made their way over to him: the elder having a smile on her face while the younger's was a scowl.

"Auntie Bakugou! Kacchan… it's good to see the two of you!" Izuku tried his best to smile at the two of them, but this began to quickly fade as Katsumi moved closer and grabbed Izuku by the collar of his shirt, while her free hand was rapid firing mini-explosions by her side.

"DEKU! You liar, you cheat. I don't know how you got in her but I'll expose you for-" Katsumi's ranting was cut off by another loud *SMACK* to the back of her head. As she let go of Izuku to nurse the bruise on her head, her mother moved between the two of them and wrapped her arms around Izuku, bringing him into a tight embrace.

"Congratulations Izuku! Your mother had told me about your acceptance the day after you two knew! I wanted us to meet up for a party, but Katsumi was too worried about what to wear or say-" At this point, the younger woman tried pushing the two apart as she shoved an exploding palm between them.

"Sh-shut up you old hag! Like I'd want to celebrate Deku cheating his way into UA… anyways, I'm getting my stuff out of the car so you can get out of here." She turned from Izuku and stomped back over to the car where she began to grab a box. Her mother in turn chased after her yelling something along the lines of "aww Katsumi, you don't mean that".

Izuku turned to Tenya who seemed slightly frazzled by the whole ordeal, and realizing that he didn't have much else going on in the day, he proposed that he take over handing out room keys for a bit so Tenya could rest. After insisting several times, Tenay conceded and told Izuku he would just take a "short nap" and would be back to "handle the job UA entrusted to him".

* * *

**A Few Hours Later**

Following the interaction with Katsumi, Izuku tried to ensure he wouldn't have any problems with her every day by searching for a key to a room on the second or third floor. Realizing there was only keys left for the fourth, he resigned himself to handing her one for the opposite corner of his floor. Once she had passed through the lobby with all of her packages, the area descended once again into silence as he was the sole person on this level of the building.

The sun began to peak in the sky as the morning passed into afternoon. With the changing time of day came another new resident: the doors of the building parted, letting in light and a young woman flanked by several men and women in matching suits. The woman took a brief look around the entryway, until her eyes landed on Izuku at which point she offered a small but warm smile. She had black hair that was drawn back into a large spiky ponytail, expect for a single long bang framing the right side of her face. She was wearing a black skirt that matched the color of her hair, while her top was a frilly white dress shirt that showed off her well-endowed figure.

As Izuku continued to observe the new woman, she and the contingent of men following her stepped into the building and made their way over to him. One of the men quickly moved in front of the group examined the table, surrounding area, then quickly walked around Izuku sizing him up before returning to the group and giving them a nod. One of the suits stepped forward, pulled out the chair across from Izuku, then once the woman was seated pushed it back in. The entire group then lined up next to one another, bowed, and made their way back towards the entrance to the building where they stood next to the door watching Izuku.

"Forgive me for all the theatrics. Mother and Father think it best for me to have a full security detail when I move in, as you never know who you'll meet." Izuku continued to listen to the dazzling woman in front of him as he continued to steal glances at the group that had escorted her. She shook her head slightly as if she was forgetting something, the action gaining Izuku's attention.

"Ah, right. Introductions might be good. My name is Izuku Midoriya, most people just call me Izuku. And you might be?" He questioned as he reached a hand across the table. As he did, he could see out of the corner of his eye that the security detail jumped to life at his movement, many of them seemingly ready to move across the room and accost him. The woman then raised a palm as if to say "stop" in their direction. She turned and offered a smile to Izuku.

"A pleasure. My name is Momo Yaoyorozu. I suppose if you're fine with me calling you Izuku, I will allow you to call me Momo?" She grasped his hand and shook it firmly. As their interaction continued, Izuku took notice of Momo's impeccable posture, and her eloquent way of speech. If the security guards didn't give it away, the way she carried herself and spoke made it very apparent to Izuku that she came from the upper crust of society. Izuku had to shake his head to refocus himself out of his thoughts, after realizing he had just been staring at Momo without saying anything.

"Are you alright?" She questioned him. Finding his response of "I was distracted" satisfying she repeated what she asked him, "Now if to understand right, I will recieve my room key from you?" A small nod of his head and she pressed onwards, "And it will be fine if I have my… family's assistants help move my belongings?" Another confirmation from Izuku's end was followed by him giving her a key to the fourth floor and directions to both the elevator and stairwell.

"Do you need help with anything else?" Izuku questioned of her as she stood up and walked back to her contingent. She turned her head and gave him another soft smile as she shook her head "no". The group disappeared back through the entrance, only to appear a few moments later carrying various pieces of furniture: one suit carried a bookshelf, while another carried what appeared to be a hand carved wooden vanity. Various other objects passed through the doors, until finally the entire group following behind Momo came back through the door carrying a large four poster bed. As quickly as they had moved all the items into the dorm, the group soon gathered back into the lobby, offering another bow to Momo before leaving the dorm. With a sigh her composure broke for a moment, until she realized Izuku was still in the lobby at which point she offered a brief wave as she straightened her posture and rapidly exited the room.

Izuku slumped down in his seat slightly as he thought, _"Wow, she was so refined, I don't think I've ever met anyone like her before. Not to mention she was gorgeous… No!"_ Izuku straightened himself in his chair and slapped his cheek lightly, _"No thoughts like that. You've already got Setsuna. Speaking of which…"_ He flipped open his phone and began to compose a text, only to be interrupted by one from her appearing.

"Hey you! I just finished moving in, had some help from the nice folks over here in the Class B dorm. I'm gonna hang out here for a while, but I'll come by for dinner sound good?" Izuku quickly typed back a reply of "sounds good, I'll see you then!" before letting his head drop to the table. As soon as he did so, he heard the entrance doors open once again with a soft hiss. He sighed as he looked up and prepared him for whatever person would be coming in next.

As he looked up, his green eyes met chocolate brown ones. He could feel himself smile slightly as he saw the woman come into the room. As their eyes locked and recognition came across both their faces, the only word he was able to get out was a simple, "Hi."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

If you'd like to come discuss the work, things pertaining to other works I've done, or become a beta for this work - join my discord at /xFuDyVM

As always, I do not own 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia, this is a fan-work:  
It is the work of Kōhei Horikoshi, serialized by Weekly Shōnen Jump, and animated by Bones.  
The English release is provided by Viz Media and Funimation.

Please Support the Official Releases.


	8. Chapter 8

_Italics_ denotes an individual's thoughts

**Bold **denotes large time shifts/ or introductions of new settings; also may be used for emphasis

Line dividers denote a smaller scene or time shift

* * *

Ch. 8: The Best Way to Someone's Heart, is Through Their Stomach

"Hi." Izuku managed to breathe out as he saw the woman that saved him during the Entrance Exam. _"Really, that's the best you can manage you dumbass? No words of thanks or congratulations to her?"_ He mentally berated himself as the two stared awkwardly at one another. After a few moments, the woman's face broke into a wide smile.

"Wow! I can't believe we're both here!" She excitedly jogged towards Izuku as she pulled a large and well-worn suitcase behind her. In a matter of seconds, she was inches away from Izuku and animatedly talking to him, "I never did get to say thanks for saving me from that huge robot! I really owe you one." Izuku was incredibly thrown off by her rapidly approaching him, and could only manage a sheepish grin and head scratch as he replied.

"If anything, I should be thanking you. I would've died from that fall if you didn't stop me…" Izuku tried to bow towards the girl in gratitude, only to hit his head into hers with a soft ***BONK***. At this he quickly jumped back and tried to spew off a number of apologies, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you were that close. Please forgive me!" as he took a step back and bowed profusely. He held the pose and continued to stare at the ground with his face growing scarlet and hot. He began to raise his head back up as he heard a laugh from the girl in front of him.

When he looked back up, he saw that she was laughing heartily while rubbing the spot their heads connected. After a few moments, she held out a hand to him while saying, "Let's try this from the beginning maybe?" He took her hand, which she then eagerly shook while smiling, "My name is Ochaco Uraraka, you can just call me Ochaco though! Nice to meet you." After a few moments Izuku felt her infectious smile get to him and he was beaming as well.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Izuku Midoriya!" As she let go of his hand, Izuku noticed that she oddly had her pinky stretched out while they were shaking hands. Deciding to make a mental note to ask her about it later, he went over to the table where the keys were and waved her over. Once she was beside him he looked over the table, which only seemed to contain about another 3 or 4 keys, all for the fourth floor. He double checked a nearby floor chart to ensure he knew what rooms were the girl's side of the dorm, then grabbed a key and handed it over to Ochaco.

"Need help getting your stuff up to your room?" Izuku asked Ochaco, as he looked past her towards the door to see if there were any other items she had left there. She sheepishly shook her head as she looked down towards the ground, muttering a soft, "It's okay, I don't have much." Ochaco then quickly shook off her melancholic expression and returned to smiling before giving a short word of thanks and headed off towards the elevators.

With that Izuku was once again left by himself. He sat back down at the table, sighed and dropped his head to it's surface as he closed his eyes. Around the corner he could hear the soft *DING* of one of elevators opening at the floor, and in response Izuku pulled himself back up and plastered a smile back onto his face. Around the corner came Tenya, looking slightly less agitated or as antsy as he was before. Upon seeing Izuku, he gave a wave and headed over to the table.

"My thanks for helping me Midoriy- excuse me, Izuku. I can relieve you from this if you'd like? Though judging by the keys left here and time of day, I'd say everyone may already be here?" As Tenya finished his hypothetical question, Izuku turned and noticed that the day had in fact slowly transitioned to early evening. The green haired young man took a moment to stretch in his seat, then pulled out his phone which showed that the time was around five in the evening.

"No problem Tenya! It was only two people that came in since you were here." After a brief pause between the men, Izuku stood up and Tenya moved to sit down at the table. He hesitated for a moment, then grabbed Izuku by the shoulder.

"I forgot to mention earlier when you moved in, the staff who handed off the keys to me mentioned that the dining hall would be closed until classes start tomorrow. They did tell me that our kitchen is restocked every morning though," he said as gestured with his free hand towards the nearby room. Izuku offered his thanks to Tenya for the heads up, then continued back towards the elevator as the other man sat down.

Izuku rolled the stiff knots out of his shoulders and knees as he continued to walk to the elevator. _"I'm feeling pretty tired… seeing Katsumi again was pretty draining... maybe I should just turn in for the day?" _His thoughts were then interrupted by the rumbling of his stomach._ "I guess I should take the time to make at least something to eat before then. Who knows, maybe I'll meet some of the other people in my class."_ He took another few steps and was in the elevator. As it ascended to the fourth floor he scratched his head as he tried to recall something else he wanted to do.

"I swear there's something else I need to do," Izuku muttered in the empty metal box. He closed his eyes and concentrated, then as the doors opened to his floor with a ***DING*** and ***SWISH*** his eyes snapped open and he yelled out, "OH SHIT! I was gonna ask if Setsuna wanted to come have dinner with me." Snapped out of his own world, he quickly covered his mouth and walked over to his room.

Izuku pulled out his phone and quickly whipped up a text to Setsuna, asking if she wanted to come by now for dinner. A moment later and she replied with a "sure", followed by "whatcha gonna make me?". Izuku's brain rushed, as he should try to do something a bit nicer than freezer microwaved food or some of the simpler recipes that he knew. As he pushed open the door to his room, he caught sight of the recipe book his mother had thrown together. Grabbing it, he flipped through a few pages, until he found something he thought would be within his skill level. He pulled out his phone and quickly texted Setsuna, asking her to wait a while before coming over.

* * *

**An Hour Later**

Izuku had been walking back and forth between the kitchen and the entryway for the better part of the last hour. The time had been split between Izuku preparing the batter for his dish, interrupted by breaks of him talking with Tenya while the batter rested in the fridge. He learned quickly that the younger Iida son had found his elder brother to be his inspiration, and was pushing himself to go through UA in order to follow in his footsteps. After some more discussion, the two agreed to workout together: Izuku sharing what he had learned the past summer about his upper body regimes, while Tenya would offer advice on how to strengthen his lower body and improve his running form.

As the hour came to an end, Izuku excused himself to continue cooking. He began by consulting the recipe book before rooting through the fridge until he came out with several armfulls of ingredients: ketchup, worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce, a cabbage, a package of pork belly, a carton of eggs, and red ginger. He then searched nearby cabinets until he withdrew a bag of sugar and placed it alongside the counter next to the other ingredients. Finally, he grabbed a skillet and a bottle of vegetable oil from another set of cabinets.

Izuku began by taking a small bowl to which he added sugar, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, and oyster sauce. He mixed them together, until it became a smooth brown sauce. Satisfied with how it turned out, he covered the bowl and placed it into the refrigerator, switching it out for the larger bowl that contained the batter.

After placing the bowl on the counter, he unwrapped it and picked up an egg which he began to crack on the edge. He dropped the yolk into the batter, just as an uproar could be heard coming from the common space. He could vaguely make out Tenya chastising someone, who seemed to be ignoring him.

"Excuse me! Miss! You can't just walk in here and have free reign over the place, are you a student?" Izuku put down the second egg he had grabbed with a sigh, then peeked his head out the doorway to see what the commotion was. In the common area, he could see Tenya talking to a woman, who had her back turned to him. She had short jet black jean shorts that were torn on the fringes, and an almost equally dark green tank top. Above that Izuku could make out wavy hair that was near the same shade as his. He narrowed his eyes for a moment, then pulled out his phone to check the time. Realizing that an hour had already passed, he swore under his breath then approached the woman.

"Alright, that's enough messing with him Suna." Izuku said to the figure as he approached her. Setsuna spun on her heel to face Izuku, a cheshire grin spread across her face.

"Well, you weren't answering your phone, so I thought I'd have my own fun." She closed the gap and gave Izuku a quick hug before continuing, "And how are you doing, Izzy?" Before Izuku could answer, the third party in the room spoke up.

"I take it you two know each other?" Tenya questioned of both Izuku and Setsuna. They gave him a nod of affirmation as he continued into a rant, "I couldn't believe the ghastly things she was saying to me. I had followed her and was trying to stop her from going further into the building because every time I asked her what she was doing, she changed her answer: electrical work, controlled demolition, kidnapping, thievery… my word, I thought she was a criminal…" Tenya continued to sputter as he got lost in his thoughts, at which point Izuku took Setsuna's hand and inclined towards the kitchen with his head. Once they were out of earshot, Izuku spoke up again.

"Great, I hope I don't have to deal with him fuming about that for a while… Anyways, I was a bit slower than I thought I would be, so it'll just be a bit longer till I'm done cooking." He turned and picked up an egg again. As he cracked it and dropped it into the bowl, Setsuna jumped up and sat on the counter next to him.

"So what's the mystery dish you're cooking me?" She asked of him. No response as he cracked another egg and dropped it into the bowl. Another moment passed in silence as he grabbed another and repeated the action. At this point he turned and consulted the notebook on the counter, the action catching Setsuna's eye. A mischievous smile spread across her face as she used her quirk to detach a hand and sneak it around Izuku's back towards the book. With a flick of her wrist, the book was closed and pulled quickly past Izuku towards Setsuna. He turned quickly at the action attempting to snatch it back as she firmly held it in both hands slightly out of his reach.

"Ooooo, what's this? A homemade recipe book?" She flipped through some of the pages, gazing at the handwritten words as Izuku jumped frantically trying to grab the gift back.

"That… was a gift. Come on, give it back. I thought you wanted it to be a surprise?" He whined slightly in an attempt to reason with her. In response, she only grinned more as she held the book slightly behind her head and goaded him into trying to reach up and grab it once again. This time, he pushed up on the counter and jumped, catching Setsuna by surprise and grabbing the book back. In the same moment, he came falling back down and his free hand tried to grab onto something for balance. Setsuna gave a small gasp as his hand landed on her thigh and gave a small squeeze. In a moment, Izuku had flung the book aside and was slightly backed off from Setsuna, now a stuttering mess. She was the first to speak up.

"I- I uh, didn't know you were so bold." She looked up to see that his face was down towards the floor, occasionally tilting up to look at her. She huffed at this and spoke up, "Though I guess I'm not good enough for you to look at or listen to?" She then crossed her arms under her chest and leaned back against the counter as Izuku responded.

"That's not it at all…" He paused and took a breath as Setsuna turned and narrowed her eyes, "Normally you're so beautiful... but right now you look downright sexy. I just don't know where to look! Or if it's okay for me to even look…" He spat out in response before collapsing back into a nervous mess and returning his gaze back down to the floor. His face was flushed a deep scarlet, and it was almost as if steam was rushing out his ears. Setsuna herself was knocked off balance by the comment, uncrossing her arms and fidgeting nervously on the counter. She jumped down and walked by Izuku on her way out of the room.

"It's not fair when you get all mushy on me Izzy," she whispered with a pout across her blushing face, she continued, "I'll wait outside for your surprise if that's what you really want." Izuku recomposed himself as she left the room, picking the book off the floor and trying to once again focus on the recipe.

Another egg was thrown into the batter, a dollop of pickled ginger, and the cabbage once it was finely chopped. Once that was done, he oiled up the skillet and set it to simmer on a medium heat. He then returned to the batter and picked up a fistful. He dropped it to a clean part of the counter and set to work flattening it and into a disk, which was then dropped into the pan. As the disk sizzled on the pan, he returned to the ingredients and opened the package of pork belly. He cut a few pieces apart, then took 3 of these half pieces and gingerly laid then on top of the disk. After a moment, he took a spatula, flipped it and put a lid on the skillet. Another few minutes passed as he retrieved the sauce from the fridge, grabbed a plate for Setsuna, then removed the now lightly fried disk from the skillet. He deftly flipped it over onto the plate to expose the darkened pork belly, before drizzling the sauce on top of it. He took a deep inhale of the dish, then with a satisfied sigh, he picked up the plate and walked out into the common area only to bump into something solid.

"Wow, that smells amazing," came a deep voice from in front of Izuku. After ensuring the plate was okay, he looked up from it to be greeted by another man. The figure had spiky red hair, and exercise clothes on. They spoke up again, as they continued to stare at the plate while drooling, "Man, I'm famished. I've been working out most of today… so you wouldn't mind if I had a bite of that would you?" Izuku mentally swore, as he wanted to have a moment alone with Setsuna, then took a second to rethink his position. _"It wouldn't hurt to make someone else something to eat, would be a good opportunity to get to know the people I'm living and studying with."_ After a moment, he nodded at the plan, before realizing the man was still in front of him.

"Sorry… famished was it?" Izuku paused to give a grin to the man for the bad joke, "This one is taken by that lovely lady over there," he gestured towards Setsuna, "but I'd be more than happy to make one for you too if you'd like?" The other man broke out into a smile and eagerly nodded.

"Thanks man, I'll take you up on that! And the name is Eijiro Kirishima, though most folks just call me Kirishima." He held a hand out towards Izuku, who shifted the plate to one arm before grabbing it.

"Izuku Midoriya, just Izuku is fine though." Kirishima squeezed his hand tightly and shook hard, before giving Izuku a slap on the back and walking over to one of the other empty tables. Izuku shook his head at the strange interaction, then continued walking towards Setsuna. She perked up as she saw him approach. With a small flourish and a "Tadah!" he placed the dish and a set of chopsticks in front of her. Setsuna gave it a whiff, then turned to look at Izuku.

"Wow, you made Okonomiyaki? I hope it tastes as good as it smells." As soon as she finished talking, she picked up the chopsticks and picked up a piece of the dish before her. Izuku waited anxiously as she took a bite, slowly savoring the mixture of flavors. She put the chopsticks back down for a moment to look over her shoulder towards Izuku, "It's okay I guess.. A little burnt," she said as she smiled and winked at him. Izuku gave her a playful punch to the arm and smiled back.

"Glad to hear you like it." He paused to look over towards Kirishima who had been looking in their direction. The other man gave a small wave then quickly diverted his eyes. Izuku continued, "And sorry, but I won't be eating with you yet. That guy over there wanted to get a piece of this too, so I figured it'd be a good opportunity to get on his good side." Setsuna wrinkled her nose at this and pouted slightly, earning her another reply from Izuku, "Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it." He gave a light kiss to her cheek, then went back into the kitchen.

Izuku poured some more oil into the skillet, formed a smaller disk of batter, and went to grab another plate as the meal simmered. Once again, he flipped the dish onto the plate, added a swirl of the sauce, then left the kitchen. As he entered the common space, he went over towards the table Kirishima was at, only to realize something: several other people had entered the room and sat around the area. Izuku lifted an eyebrow at the situation as he cautiously approached Kirishima, and the three other people sitting near him.

"Hey, Izuku! Thanks for making that man. I hope you don't mind, but I invited some other people from our dorm down for dinner! I thought it'd be a great chance for us all to bond." Kirishima said in response to the slightly confused look on Izuku's face. The green-haired man felt his eye twitch slightly at the fact that Kirishima did this without asking him, but the moment quickly passed and Izuku threw a smile on his face.

"Yeah! I don't mind." Izuku cheerfully replied. _"The only problem is we might not have enough ingredients…" _he mentally noted. He placed the plate on the table, then started to head back to the kitchen, only to be stopped by a hand grabbing his shoulder. He turned back to find Kirishima had stood up and followed him.

"Hey, you need any help in there? I realize I might have put some pressure on you by asking you to do this for everyone, and it wouldn't be manly to leave a bro hanging." Izuku wasn't quite sure about Kirishima's logic, but it wouldn't hurt to have someone else prep more batter while he cooked, _"What the hell,"_ he thought as he nodded.

"Sure. I could use some help prepping some ingredients and bringing the dishes out." Kirishima gave him a grin, exposing jagged teeth. He gave Izuku another slap on the back, then followed him into the kitchen.

* * *

The two men had been working in the kitchen on dinner for quite some time now, with Izuku learning more about Kirishima as their time together passed. The red-haired man was very outgoing, with a very simple way of viewing the world: everything was either manly or unmanly. With the help provided by Kirishima, the two were able to quickly fry up several more portions of Okonomiyaki, which they then plated and took out to the common area.

Compared to when Izuku had left the kitchen earlier, the area had become much more animated. Several clusters of other men and women had gathered in the area. At the table Kirishima had come from sat a woman with pink hair with... _"Are those horns?" _ Izuku quickly questioned before taking notice of the fact that the woman's skin was also the same shade of pink as her hair. Besides her bright colored hair and skin, she had black eyes with bright yellow irises. She was chatting animatedly with a giant of a man across from her, with short brown hair and large, full lips. He was huge, appearing both very wide and incredibly muscular. At the same table was another man, or what appeared to be part of one as his head was that of some black bird like a raven or crow. Besides his unusual head and neck, the rest of his body seemed to be completely human. Next to the bird-headed man was another man, this one seemingly having a rock-like head with an incredibly square jaw. Although he too seemed to be a larger man, his body language seemed to indicate he was much more reserved than some of the other people at the table.

Kirishima pulled Izuku towards the group as they brought the first set of dishes out, and once they were placed on the table introduced him to the group: the pink woman was named Mina Ashido, the large brown haired man was Rikido Sato, the bird-headed man was Fumiage Tokoyami, and the rock-headed man was Koji Koda. The first two had been more forthcoming in introducing themselves and thanking Izuku for the food, while Tokoyami could only mutter a small "thanks" and Koda offered only a smile and small head nod.

Izuku and Kirishima then repeated the process, retreating into the kitchen and approaching another group with more food. The next group seemed slightly more average looking then the previous group: first was a well dressed blonde haired man with a very feminine face. His posture seemed to scream "I think I'm the most important person in the room" and after a few moments of "letting Izuku bask in his glory" he introduced himself as Yuga Aoyama. Next to him was a man with spiky orange hair, that obscured part of his left eye, who was chatting up a woman with short purple hair and what appeared to be long headphone jacks dangling from her ears. The woman seemed very eager to talk to someone besides the orange-haired man, and quickly introduced herself as Kyoka Jiro. Once her introduction was done, the man she was talking to eagerly jumped in and introduced himself as Denki Kaminari. Across from the two of them were another two men talking to one another: both looked extremely plain, the first having jet black hair and wide, alert-looking eyes. The other one was a very plain looking blonde; but, upon a second look, he stood out more due to the fact he had a long tail with a tuft of blonde hair on the end of it. They both dropped their conversation for a moment, with the former introducing himself as Hanta Sero, while the latter was Mashirao Ojiro.

The two men retreated to the kitchen once again to retrieve more dishes, but were interrupted by a series of shouts from the common areas. They rushed out quickly to be met with an odd site. The next table they were going to visit stood out for a far different reason compared to the prior ones: one of the chairs had someone frozen solid to it. Most of the people in the common area looked over towards the table in various states of shock, anger, and fear. After a few moments, the commotion seemed to die down and everyone returned to their soft chatter that was occurring prior. Izuku and Kirishima shared a confused look, shrugged, then returned to grab more plates for the next table.

When they emerged once again, they made their way back to the table that had the frozen person. By the looks of it, it was a short man with a mohawk of purple hair that upon a closer look was actually four large balls. His arms had been frozen to his side, while his torso and legs had been encased in ice trapping him on the chair. Next to him was a young woman with long hair split into half white and half red. Her bangs were parted twice, exposing her heterochromatic eyes: one an icy blue and the other a brownish grey. A scar could be seen partially around the icy blue eye on the left half of her face, underneath her bright crimson hair. She seemed to be staring off into space ignoring most of the other people at the table. Across from her was seated a man with pale grey hair that seemed to jut straight forward before turning 90 degrees and going down from his forehead and across his eyes; but, even stranger than that was his six arms which were attached to one another by a webbing of skin. He offered a gruff "thanks" before introducing himself as Mezo Shoji. Izuku and Kirishima were about to walk off for the final dishes, before a voice called out from the table.

"Um, hi! There's one more person here!" The men turned to the feminine sounding voice, only to find that a pair of floating clothes was seated next to Shoji. Both apologized profusely for missing her before she spoke up. "It's not that big a problem, it happens from time to time. Anyways, I'm Toru Hagakure! You already met Shoji," judging by the movement of her shirt sleeve, the men guessed she was pointing at him, it then shifted towards the iced-over man, "That little creep is Minoru Mineta, he was crawling on the floor trying to look up some of the girls shorts and skirts before she," this time Toru seemed to gesture towards the other woman at the table, "froze him in place." Toru fell silent for a moment, at which point Izuku felt an invisible hand grabbed onto his shoulder and pulled him closer as she whispered, "She hasn't said anything since she got here… so no one is quite sure on her name yet…" She then let go of Izuku, at which point Shoji and Toru thanked the men for the meal, before they left once again.

Izuku and Kirishima came out with the final set of dishes, then headed over towards the final table that Setsuna had been sitting at. She had been conversing with some faces familiar to Izuku: Momo, Ochaco, and Tenya. Among them was another girl who had long green hair that dropped down onto her back where it was tied into a bow. She had a wide mouth and oval shaped eyes that darted around the table looking at her new classmates. This new woman introduced herself as Tsuyu Asui, with what sounded like a ribbit following her introduction. Once they dropped the final plates of food off, Kirishima held a bent arm up. Izuku mimicked the action completing Kirishima's "manly" handshake, then thanked him for his help before the other man returned to sitting next to Tokayami. With a contented sigh, Izuku took his own plate, pulled up a chair next to Setsuna, and plopped down.

He took a bite out of his Okonomiyaki before speaking up, "I don't know if it's just from being so hungry, or if I actually cooked this right, but this is soooo good." Some of the others at the table chimed in, voicing their approval for the dish. Tenya spoke up afterwards adding his own opinion.

"It was superb, Midori- forgive me, Izuku. Where did you learn to cook like this? With something like this, we should have you cook for us often!" This earned a round of cheers from the table as the others took a break from eating. Midoriya scratched his head shyly at the praise.

"That makes me really happy to hear that. It was actually just a recipe my mom would make at home, though I don't really have any special experience when it comes to cooking." Izuku paused briefly and looked around the rowdy room, before returning his gaze to his own table, "It would be nice for us all to eat together like this again, I'd just want some more help next time…" This again earned another chorus of replies: Momo offered to help make some beverages or brew tea, Ochaco saying she could offer budget friendly meal ideas, Tenya stating he would be willing to help prep the ingredients, and Tsuyu volunteering to taste test it. This earned a laugh from around the table. Izuku went to pick up his chopsticks and take another bite when an explosion fired off from near the elevator.

"What the fuck is this?! You think you can relax now that you've faked your way into UA?" Katsumi screamed from the hallway. She marched straight up to the table Izuku was sitting at and slammed her hand down on the table. "You had the nerve to not tell me this was going on and invite me down to your little party, Deku?" Some people squirmed awkwardly in their seats as the fiery blonde continued her verbal rampage. "You think you can just cosy up to and lie to th-"

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise I had to report everything happening to you," Izuku coolly interrupted with as he dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. Katsumi was taken aback by his calm reply, and before she could collect herself and continue her assault he spoke again, "We already cleaned up the kitchen, so the only thing I can do is offer you a share of my portion, if you'll calm down." Katsumi stared at Izuku as her mouth fell open in stunned silence. After a few moments she shook her head, grumbled, then pulled up a chair at the end of Izuku's table. Most of the rest of the room went back to soft chatter, while Izuku's table bristled at the new hot headed woman who had joined them.

Izuku took Setsuna's empty plate, cut half of his remaining portion and placed it on the plate, then slid it to Katsumi. She eyed it suspiciously, then took a cautious bite. After a moment, she gave a small "Hmphf" and continued to eat while staring down the other members of the table. The awkward hush continued to hang in the air as Katsumi devoured the food until Setsuna spoke up.

"Hey Izzy, you got a little something on your cheek." The green haired man reached up and touched his face with a finger, withdrawing it to find some sauce and batter. He reached over to grab his napkin, only to be interrupted by Setsuna's hand. She leaned over and gave the spot a quick lick, then a kiss. Izuku's face turned beet-red while Setsuna gave a small laugh. Simultaneously, the table exploded into an uproar of various stunned shouts. Tenya was spouting off various things about "public decency" and "morality", while Ochaco and Momo's face were dusted with light blushes as they muttered things such as "how bold". Loudest of all however, was Katsumi's explosive response.

"Wh-what was THAT?!" She rocketed out of her chair, both hands clenched in fists before one shakily rose and pointed at the couple. Setsuna turned to Izuku with a quizzical look on her, before facing Katsumi

"What, I'm his girlfriend. I can't do that?" At the word "girlfriend" Katsumi's skin drained of color and she looked as though she were hit by a bus. Setsuna spoke up again before Katsumi could respond, "Though I suppose couples usually do something more like this," at which point she grabbed Izuku's face and pulled him into a deep kiss. After a few seconds she let the dazed man go, and looked at the rest of the table with a grin.

"I-I'm not feeling too well… so, none of you..." Katsumi stuttered out as she stepped away from the table. After a moment, she took a deep breath then narrowed her eyes, "I don't want any of you second rate nobodies bothering me, got that?" With that, the blonde woman stomped out of the room, as everyone's eyes trailed her until she retreated into the hallway. Everyone seemed bewildered by the exchange and were whispering in hushed tones. Conversely, Izuku calmly resumed eating his Okonomiyaki, with only his crimson face betraying his embarrassment. A few more minutes of awkward silence set in of Izuku eating, while Setsuna embraced his arm before Tenya finally spoke up.

"Izuku… how are you so calm about all of this? I noticed you were just as calm before when that girl… Katsumi Bakugou?... came in earlier." Izuku mentally sighed as he took another bite then put down his chopsticks. Deciding there was no reason to lie about it, he swallowed and replied to Tenya.

"Well, Kacchan, ah I mean Katsumi… she was my childhood friend. She's been very… volatile from when we were growing up, so I guess I just got used to it. She sees people that don't have quirks as lesser. So when she developed a powerful quirk and I didn't get mine, she started putting me down." Izuku paused slightly as his voice hitched. A reaffirming squeeze from Setsuna, who had already heard about his past, and he continued for the others at the table, "I tried to keep believing for the longest time she would still be my friend, but her actions made it apparent that wouldn't be the case. Long story short, I developed my quirk not too long ago, so now she's angry because she thinks I've been hiding it from her or cheated somehow to get to UA." The table sat in awkward silence as Izuku merely sat with a furrowed brow and arm wrapped around Setsuna's side.

"Sorry, that might've been a bit heavy, with us just getting to know each other and all." He spoke up as he tried to put on a cheerful grin. As he tried to lighten the mood, Mina suddenly shot up from her chair on the other side of the room.

"I'm not sure what happened with that super angry girl before, but we should keep this party going! We should have a contest for best room in our dorm." Slowly but surely, a chorus of agreement rang out from most of the room; and, all the students, but the still frozen Mineta, filed towards the elevators.

* * *

The groups agreed to get off on the second floor and start with the boys side, before working their way to the girls and up to the next floor. Kaminari eagerly ushered the group towards the end of the hall, where he threw open the door to reveal his room. _"Spunky,"_ was the word that crossed Izuku's mind as he examined the interior. Kaminari had thrown down a black rug in the center of the room, while on a shelf and parts of the wall he had hung various objects ranging from hats to headphones. On the wall above his tiger stripe bed, he had hung a dart board and autographed jersey. Several students offered a few hollow "pretty interesting"s or "it's cool" as they shuffled back into the hallway.

Sero's room was next, as it was next door. He less eagerly opened the door to reveal a distinctly "Asian" style room. Patterned tapestries hung from the left and right walls as everyone filled into the room. Meanwhile, the window had been covered with long wooden blinds and a folding screen. Between the bed and desk was a small hammock that snugly filled the space. After a few more students gave some more glances around, they filled back into the hallway complementing Sero for his room's theme.

The final room for the male's side of the second floor was Tenya's room. Izuku noted that Tenya seemed slightly more eager than he thought he would be as the other man opened the door to his room. Inside, the room seemed rather plain. The most significant parts that stood out were bookshelf upon bookshelf of various books that lined one side of his room, along with the shelves of glasses positioned above his desk and dresser. As the group left the room, Tenya was questioned about the rows of extra glasses, to which he replied, "It's hard to keep my glasses together when I'm using my quirk, so I found it best to just invest in bulk extra pairs to keep up."

The group then transitioned to the girl's side of the second floor, and towards the end of the hall. At this point, Tsuyu broke off from the group saying she wasn't feeling well and went into her room. After wishing her well and to feel better, the group shifted to the next room which turned out to be Jiro's room. Her door was pushed open, exposing a very music centric room: the left wall was lined with a bookshelf full of records and CDs, while next to that was a cluster of instruments ranging from guitars to keyboards and a full drum set. The floor, ceiling, and bed all shared a checker pattern, with the bed and ceiling being black and red while the floor was white and black. Several students tried to get Jiro to play them a song, which flustered her and caused her to rush them back out of the room.

* * *

Once they were back in the second floor hall again, Tenya let the group know that the only other rooms on the floor were vacant, causing them to move to the next floor. On the third floor, the group shifted to the girl's side to start, with Toru excitedly directing the group to her room. She ushered them into the room, which was plastered with both bright pink furniture and decorations. She had forgone the bed provided by UA and replaced it with one of a similar size that had iron shaped into hearts at the head and foot. The bed itself was occupied by a large blue teddy bear, while smaller stuffed animals sat on a shelf above the desk. The group offered many kind compliments for the "cute" feel of the room on their way out.

Next door, Mina excitedly bounced on the balls of her feet as she unlocked and flung the door aside. Inside her room, everything seemed a very high contrast of pink and black. Each thing seemed to jump out at the students as they looked at it, with the curtains having tiger stripes of pink, while the bed was a mixture of pink polka dots on black sheets. After a few more minutes of admiring Mina's lively room, the group left and made their remarks complimenting her for really making her room unique.

The final room for the third floor girl's side was that of the red and white haired woman. She didn't say a word when opening the door, but took a few steps into the room, before holding an arm out to block everyone from walking into the room. The group cycled out, taking turns looking into the room from the entrance. The inside had been completely redone to match the style of a Japanese home: the hardwood floor had been taken out and replaced with tatami, while the glass doors to the porch had been replaced with wooden screens. Most of the group asked her in shock how the room ended up so different, to which she meekly and curtly replied, "It didn't feel like home to me, so I did some small renovations." They tried to get more out of the mysterious woman, but she would say no more. Tenya once again let the group know there were only room's left on the men's side at which point they trekked over to see the remaining rooms on the floor.

On the far end of the wing, Shoji stepped forward to show off his room: inside was a low desk under which sat a single cushion. On the opposite side of the room from it was a stack of bedding on which sat a solitary pillow. Mina took the opportunity to speak as the group left, "I guess that's minimalistic living in action, huh?" to which Shoji offered a simple grunt.

Next to Shoji's room was Kirishima's. He excitedly unlocked the door as he talked to the group about showing them how a "true man" lives. In the case of his room, this meant a variety of motivational posters dominating the wall space, alongside a clock that had arms popping out to flex. He had a large curtain drawn across the window that had a flame pattern across it. In front of the curtain sat a large punching bag which had some degree of wear on it. Kirishima eagerly asked the group if his room exuded all the manliness he said it would as they left, to which some hesitantly replied with a "sure".

The room following Kirishima's was that of Aoyama. As soon as he opened the door, the group's sight was assaulted by the sparkle and shine of various objects in the room. From the ceiling of the room, a disco ball hung down, while the walls were plastered with mirrors. In the back corner, a full suit of knight's armor stood at attention, watching over the bed. As if that wasn't over the top enough, the entire room seemed coated with sparkles or sequins, giving it a blinding shine no matter where you looked. The group filtered back out and attempted to salvage what little sight they could retain after staring at the blinding display that was Aoyama's room.

Once they had recovered, Ojiro revealed his room to the group. It was simple, akin to Shoji's, but had slightly more than the basic amenities. Much like the room's owner, the room itself seemed to be rather plain. A few people made comments about Ojiro's cleanliness, and after a few more awkward moments of silence they shuffled back into the hall.

* * *

With the third floor completed, they moved onto the final floor. As they got off the elevator, they once again headed back to the men's side where Tokoyami opened his room up first. The room would have been pitch black, if not for the soft purple light that was being illuminated by a few electric candelabras and novelty skull lights. Beyond the pitch black curtains and sheets, the only other thing of note in Tokoyami's room was a real sword and shield that were propped up against the desk. Kirishima offered his praise calling the items, "the essence of manliness", but not much else was said about the room.

Next, Sato opened up his room and at once the class was assaulted by the smell of sweets and a small degree of something being burnt. "Oh shit," Sato yelled in surprise. He quickly ran into the room and threw on an oven mitt. The group cautiously peeked into the room, seeing that besides the normal amenities of the room, Sato had both a mini and full refrigerator along with a stove top and oven. Next to them, he had shoved his arm into the small oven and withdrawn a partially burnt cake. "Damn, I wanted to bake this as a congrats for us all getting into UA, but forgot I had put it into here… I guess you're all still welcome to a slice if you'd like?" Judging by the drooling faces of most of the group, they had been enticed by the sweet smell and took Sato up on his offer. Plates and slices of chocolate cake were passed around between the group as they prepared to head out to the next room. A few bites into the cake, and soon the question was raised of how Sato was such a good baker. He replied almost dismissively, "Sugar intake is part of my quirk, so I think it's best for me to make high sugar foods to keep on me."

Satisfied with the dessert Sato had provided, the group moved onto Koda's room. He quietly shuffled past the group and opened the door, holding it for them as the group walked past. Inside was a matching small green rug and curtain. On his bed were a small stuffed giraffe and bear. But the thing that earned many coos of "adorable" and "so cute" from the girls was a small white pet rabbit curled up in a box at the foot of Koda's bed. He gently picked it up and whispered to it, before holding it out for the group to take turns petting. Once everyone had their turn, he stroked it a few times, then gingerly placed it back on its bed before leading the group back out.

After that, Izuku finally was found face to face with his door. He fumbled with the key, dropping it once or twice before getting it into the lock. He opened the door to his room and let the group in, at which point he was met with a chorus of gasps. "Wow, you really are an All Might superfan, aren't ya?" Mina teasingly said to him. Izuku stood by his desk and covered his scarlet face with his hands as he tried to hide his embarrassment. Setsuna walked over to him, briefly looking down at the desk's surface and noticing the picture of the two of them, them whispered in his ear, "Well I think it's cute," before planting a kiss on his cheek. Steam gushed out of his ears as he turned into an even more incoherent mumbling mess. After getting a good look around at all his memorabilia, the group returned back to the hall and went over to the girl's side.

The first door they came across had a series of loud thumps and explosions coming from the other side. Assuming it was Katsumi's, they quickly hurried past to the next door. Ochaco fished her key out of a pocket and walked forward to expose her room to the group. Inside was a modest room, similar to the plainness of Ojiro's with the major difference being a small fan and tea pot on the table in the center of the room.

After exiting Ochaco's modest but homey room, they came to the final room of their tour. Momo prepped the group by saying, "My apologies, but my room may be rather modest. I was only able to fit the necessities from home inside." Though as she opened the door, most of the group was a mixture of appreciative whistles and jaws hitting the floor. The majority of the room was dominated by a regal white four poster bed that had a frilly curtain drawn around it. Near the entrance of the room was a massive bookshelf and a vanity that was almost equally as ornate as the bed. Most of the group look incredulously at Momo to see if she had been joking, but her face seemed unchanged from when they first entered.

* * *

Following their tour of the rooms, the group returned to the first floor to deliberate on who the winner would be.

"Sato's cake was obviously a plus, especially if that was what he would consider a bad sweet. I would love to try something that wasn't burnt," spoke up Toru. Most of the other women nodded along in agreement as they recalled the fluffy cake. Tenya then countered with his own insight.

"I would have to say, if we are strictly basing our judgement on how the rooms look, by far and away either Yaoyorozu or the red and white haired woman's room would be the winner." He paused as he looked around at the lounging group, "Speaking of her… where did she go?" The group turned and looked at one another, revealing that the mystery woman had in fact disappeared. Izuku then took a moment to speak up and question Tenya.

"It's been bugging me a bit Tenya. No one else knows her name, which I get since she seemed a bit distant and cold… but you didn't get her name when she checked in?" The other man shook his head "no" in response before replying.

"It seems she had arrived before I did, I didn't even learn of her presence until we were all together earlier this evening." He held a hand up to his chin in thought, "In light of her absence, I propose we vote between Yaoyorozu and Sato for the champion of this best room contest." The group then dissolved into chattering whether Sato's baking skills or Momo's regal furniture would be more important to determine the winner. Before a vote could be taken though, Momo spoke up and conceded that she believed Sato's sweets far outweighed her room decor, granting him the title of Most Impressive Room for the time being.

Realizing that the sun had set long ago, and that their tour had lasted late into the night, the group slowly offered their congratulations to Sato, then said their goodbyes and began heading back to their rooms. Soon, the flow of people out of the room stopped, then Izuku and Setsuna were left by themselves.

"That's too bad you didn't win that contest. Guess we'll have to break up so I'm not dating a loser," Setsuna joked with Izuku. He feigned mock offense as he held a hand over his heart and rolled his eyes. They shared a short laugh, then Setsuna pulled out her phone to check the time. "Guess I should be heading out, orientation is supposed to be tomorrow and all," she stood up from the loveseat the two of them had been sharing and took a moment to stretch. She slowly started walking towards the door and izuku quickly leapt to his feet before following her there. She paused for a moment as the entrance doors slid open.

"Wait Suna, looks like you have some cake or something on your face." Izuku called, causing her to turn around and face him. He put a hand on the small of her back and pulled her in for a kiss, savoring the sweet taste of chocolate still dusting her lips. After a few seconds, he broke the contact and the two panted for air.

"Nevermind, I guess it was just nothing," he said to her as a grin broke out across his cherry red face. She returned the smile, surprised at his boldness. The two stood there, just enjoying each other's company and the cool night breeze. Then with a murmur of "good night" shared with each other, Setsuna drifted back towards the Class 1-B Alliance Heights dorms and Izuku sauntered back to his room.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

If you'd like to come discuss the work, things pertaining to other works I've done, or become a beta for this work - join my discord at /xFuDyVM

As always, I do not own 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia, this is a fan-work:  
It is the work of Kōhei Horikoshi, serialized by Weekly Shōnen Jump, and animated by Bones.  
The English release is provided by Viz Media and Funimation.

Please Support the Official Releases.


	9. Chapter 9

_Italics_ denotes an individual's thoughts

**Bold **denotes large time shifts/ or introductions of new settings; also may be used for emphasis

Line dividers denote a smaller scene or time shift

* * *

**Ch. 9 The Markings of a Hero**

**? Place, ? Time**

Countless buildings had been smashed into piles of rubble. Throughout the area, fires had broken out, charring most of the broken cityscape and flooding the area with thick, black smoke. As the fires continued to burn, the smoke began to coalesce into two spots: One on a central pile of rubble and the other at the foot of the pile. The first formed the hazy outline of a person towering, proud and unbent, while the other seemed to lay broken and unmoving. Behind the broken figure on the ground, a young man with vibrant green hair sat watching the scene bewildered and terrified.

The figure above took heavy strides down towards the other, with their mouth splitting into a smile before a deep booming man's voice poured out, "You truly are tenacious… I'll give you that."

The figure then bent over and grabbed the other by a fistful of hair, dragging their broken body to dangle before him. "My vision was to lead the world into a new age. To install order and discipline." The large man took a second to look around at the destroyed area around him and gave a sigh. "But look what you fools have done: You've destroyed my home, crushed my followers, and attempted to punish me for what you have the gall to call crimes?"

The second figure's head seemed to move, and something was silently said to the giant of a man. The man's hold on the other figure's hair seemed to slip slightly and they fell down to the ground on shaking legs. The second figure lashed out with a punch into the larger being's side, causing it to recoil slightly. In return the larger figure straightened it's back, then grabbed the arm that had punched him. He pulled the limb taut, then brought a large elbow down on it causing a sickening ***CRACK*** to echo through the air.

As the other figure collapsed to the ground, holding the broken arm, the large man spoke once again with his booming voice, "I do really hope you've enjoyed this last futile moment. I'm going to take my time breaking you in half." With the word half, one large hand grabbed the smaller figure around the shoulder, while another went beneath the knee. They were lifted to about chest height of the larger figure who continued, "And once you're gone, I will take my time crushing all your friends who gallivant around pretending to be heroes."

The large man grasped the other figure firmly, then raised a knee and slammed the two together. With a much louder ***THUMP*** and ***CRACK*** the smaller figure was dropped down the pile of rubble, until their body landed before the green-haired man. He looked down in a mixture of disgust and horror at the body before him before turning his gaze up towards the large shrouded man. The larger figure tilted its head down and seemed to return the gaze before speaking once again.

"Your Master is gone. Now it's your turn."

* * *

**Alliance Heights 1A Dorm**

Izuku woke up in a cold sweat. He shot up to a sitting position in his bed as he took deep breaths and ran his hands across his face. After calming down slightly, he hopped out of his bed and crossed his room to the bathroom. He let the faucet run for a moment and looked into the mirror to see he was still wide eyed. After taking another moment to calm himself, he splashed cold water on his face then went back to sit on the edge of his bed.

The still slightly-shaken man picked up his phone, and woke up the screen to check the time: 06:00. He turned the screen back off and rubbed his eyes again. _"I don't know quite what to make of all of… that. But it felt so terrifying, especially because it felt so real."_ Izuku stood up and stretched as he continued with his thoughts, _"Not quite the best start to the first day, but I guess I should just stay up and try to make the best of it."_

With his mind more calmed, the green-ete made his way downstairs to use the remaining time in his morning to work out. Upon finishing half an hour of biking, followed by another half hour of rowing, Izuku exited the 'gym' that had been integrated into the entry level of the dorm. He went over to the kitchen to grab a glass of water before going upstairs, only to find himself nearly bumping into Momo as he went through door separating the kitchen and common area.

"Oh, excuse me. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." "My apologies, Midoriya, it would seem I was distracted." They said to one another at the same time. Izuku took a step back as an awkward silence settled between the two. Upon a second look, he noticed that Momo was carrying a tray with a tea set. He took another step back and bumped into the kitchen door, fumbling with it for a second before opening it for her. She passed by with the set, placing the tray down on one of the tables in the common area. Before she sat down, she paused and turned to look at Izuku.

"This may be presumptuous of me, but you seem a little… frazzled? Would you like to join me for a cup of tea Midoriya? I find it always helps me calm down." Momo questioned of Izuku, while gesturing towards the tea set. After a few moments of indecision, Izuku muttered a quiet "what the hell" and joined her at the table. Upon sitting down, Momo seemed to light up, a small smile gracing her lips as she doled out a small amount of leaves into each cup before adding water from the pot with a flourish.

The two sat across from each other in some degree of silence, broken only by the clatter of the cups against the table, blowing on the tea, and occasional sips. After draining a portion of the cup, Izuku finally spoke up.

"I guess I was lucky you had another cup, huh?"

Momo stared down at her tea, gently swirling it before responding, "Actually, that's one of the reasons I brought this set with me. It came with a pair of cups, so I thought it would be a nice opportunity to share a cup with someone else and get to know my classmates more. Casual social interactions were precious and few growing up… Ah! Forgive me, I said something unbecoming." She held her hands in front of her face as she blushed scarlet.

Izuku tried to lighten the mood by speaking up again, "Well, whatever the case, thanks for letting me join you. It's been a pretty rough start for my day, but that helped make it a little brighter." He flashed a smile, then stood up and stretched. He turned as if to leave then paused, "Since you made that, would you like me to clean your cups and pot for you?"

* * *

Following his short tea time with Momo, Izuku had made his way back upstairs. He changed out of his lightweight workout clothes into the standard slacks, blazer, and tie UA required their male students to wear. After fumbling with the tie's knot for several minutes, he gave up and texted Setsuna. The two shared "good mornings" with each other, then agreed to meet up outside to walk to class.

As Izuku walked out the door and saw Setsuna's beaming smile on her face, he pushed aside his unease from his dream and returned the happy expression. The two walked together across the campus, after having taken a moment to lace their fingers together. Setsuna was animatedly talking about some of the other students she had met on her dorm floor: One of the women was an avid martial artist, with the ability to grow her hands to immense sizes. Another was a deeply religious woman who had vines for hair. Yet another was a man who had grey hair and incredibly large eyebrows who could turn themselves to steel.

* * *

**UA- Class 1A**

Not too long after leaving the dorms, the two of them rapidly arrived at the main education building of UA. Upon reaching the correct floor, Izuku and Setsuna said their goodbyes, letting their fingers untangle as they went their separate ways to their classrooms. A few more minutes of plodding through UA's halls, with the only sounds being a mixture of animated chatter from students and the soft ***THUMP*** of shoes treading on the wooden floor of the school, and Izuku found himself face to face with the door to Class 1A.

"_Now… I shouldn't be intimidated or thrown off by any of my classmates. We all worked hard to get here, and as far as I can tell, they're pretty nice. Hell. All of us are new and this is our first day, nothing to be nervous about at all! You've got this!"_ Izuku mentally psyched himself up and reached out to grab the door handle.

"Out of my way," A slightly smaller and calloused hand squeezed between Izuku's and the door as another figure cut in front of him. Izuku instinctively took a step back as Katsumi shoved past him. She gave him another scalding glare, followed by a sharp, "**Tch**" before she stomped into the room.

"She seems really grumpy. Maybe she isn't a morning person?" Another voice rang out from behind Izuku. He turned to find himself face to face with the cheerful smile of the round-faced brunette woman. The young man immediately stepped back and wildly threw out his arms in shock at her sudden appearance before composing himself.

"Uraraka… right?" He questioned, receiving a slight nod from the woman.

"If you want, you can call me that. We're classmates now though, so feel free to call me Ochaco!" She beamed at him before continuing, "I'm pretty stressed about today, but thankfully it should only be orientation, right?"

"Yeah, hopefully it'll be something like just a rundown of the rules and a tour of the school grounds." Izuku found himself nodding following his statement, as an awkward silence filled the air. "Anyways… want to head in?" He held a hand out gesturing towards the door. The two filed into the room, to find most of their classmates scattered around the room chatting. Their attention was quickly drawn to a commotion occurring towards the center of the room: Katsumi was leaned back in a chair with her feet kicked up on the desk. Meanwhile, Tenya had gripped the edge of the desk with one hand - the knuckles turned white from his grip - while his other hand was rapidly chopping past his cherry red face as he yelled.

"I can't believe the disrespect you would show not only our school and its property, but also to our seniors who have sat in these hallowed desks! On top of that, have you no shame woman? Kicking your legs up while wearing a skirt? Have you no respect for any of the rules of this venerable institution?!" His face seemed to grow more scarlet as his tone became more shrill towards the end of his lecture.

In response, Katsumi dropped her legs off the table and leaned forward in her seat towards Tenya. She then raised a hand and let some mini explosions fire off in her palm as she glared up at him, "Oh I'm sorry… who died and made you king of everything? I don't tell you how to live you life, so on that note: piss off… unless you want to take this outside?"

Some gasps and low whistles were heard around the class, as Izuku and Ochaco continued to stare from the doorway completely flabbergasted. Izuku turned to the woman by his side to say something only to notice a very odd yellow object on the ground. After wiping his eyes with both hands, he double checked the object to confirm there was indeed, a completely zipped up yellow sleeping bag on the ground next to the pair. Ochaco followed Izuku's gaze and gave a small yelp of surprise upon seeing the same object.

Suddenly, it lurched forward. It bumped into Izuku's shin, prompting both him and Ochaco to take a step towards the desks as it continued to slink along the floor. The continuing uproar between Tenya and Katsumi seemed suddenly very far away as Izuku watched the foreign object crawl behind the desk. A moment later, it stopped moving and the telltale ***ZIIIIIIIIIP*** of it being opening punctuated the air.

From behind the desk appeared a very tired looking man. He had shoulder length black hair, along with some stubble in the shape of a beard. His outfit consisted of an entirely black shirt and matching pair of pants, with the former being accented by what appeared to be an incredibly long silver scarf wrapped around his shoulders. After a moment of examining the chatting and continued fighting within the room, he cleared his throat with a rough, "**AHEM!**"

Conversation rapidly died around the room, and Tenya and Katsumi took a moment to break away from one another and quizzically look at the stranger. He narrowed his eyes and looked around the room before glancing at the clock behind him.

"You're already four minutes late to class, as far as I care. Would anyone like to explain why?" Many of the students still standing, jumped into motion and seated themselves at the closest empty desk. With the shuffling of feet and books complete, the room returned to a still silence as no student dared to attempt to answer the question. The man gave a hard, "**TCH**," before speaking up once again.

"This is how it should've been, even before I came in. You all are here, because our school considered you the best and brightest from the entrance exam. You're the cream of the crop, and supposed to be the 'bright future' for our world of heroes." He paused, then slammed a hand against his desk causing an echoing ***SMACK***.

"BUT, you all need to be ready to give it your all and willing to learn all that we as teachers have to offer. When you're here at UA, our word is law. Do I make myself clear?" A variety of nods and murmurs arose from around the room. Sufficiently satisfied, he turned to the board behind him and began to write.

"I am Shota Aizawa, for as long as you're at UA I will be your home room teacher." He turned back to the class and looked them over as he pulled a stack of papers out from under his desk. "These are booklets of information about Orientation. Take one and pass it along."

"Now, I know many of you think today is gonna be an easy day where you just get to saunter along and do nothing… If you think that, you're sorely mistaken." He paused as he waited for the last students to get their packets, then continued, "Now put those packets away. In your desk, backpack, whatever. I don't care. We're not going to Orientation."

At this sounds of protest arose from the class, which were rapidly silenced by another glare from Aizawa. As he continued to glare, a solitary arm was raised towards the center of the class. "Yes, you…" He glanced at a roster list on his desk, "Iida Tenya. What is it?"

"If you'd permit my question," Tenya paused a moment, then continued when no object was made, "Why are we skipping Orientation? Isn't it our duty as a student of UA, especially of the first class to show up to the ceremony?" He lowered his arm as he waited for his teacher to respond.

"I'll say it again, and I want everyone to take note of it: so long as I am your home room teacher my word is law. You will be taught and directed to do what I tell, as I tell it to you." He paused to let it sink in to the class. "My job is to ensure you all are ready for the rough and unrelenting world that is being a Hero. As far as my plan to teach you goes, Orientation offers nothing of value." He turned back to face Tenya, "Now, does that answer your question Mr. Iida?"

After receiving a swift nod from Tenya, he nodded his head as a small grin graced his face. "Good, now all of you come forward," he reached under the desk and procured two stacks of blue clothing, "and grab a PE uniform. I want you to change and meet me on the PE grounds in ten minutes. Am I understood?"

* * *

**UA- PE Grounds**

"Our homeroom teacher isn't quite what I expected," Izuku commented to Kirishima. The class had found their way to the changing rooms not too long ago, and they had been trickling outside towards the various fields and buildings that composed the PE grounds. When a portion of the class had arrived, Kirashima suggested they pair up and do some stretches while they waited for Aizawa and the rest of their classmates to arrive.

The red-headed man flashed a jagged grin at Izuku in response, "Yeah, he seems pretty intense. Though I guess expecting anything else from UA was silly." The two shared a brief laugh, before Izuku spoke up again.

"It still seems really strange that we're skipping Orientation and meeting counselors though. Isn't that supposed to be setting up resources we should be using our entire time here?" Kirashima gave a shrug, and the men looked around as the rest of their class members finally joined them. Shortly after they had gathered, a shrill whistle grabbed their attention. Their teacher was set up in front of a large monitor about five meters wide by three tall. In his hands, he was fiddling around with a small tablet.

"Good, you're all here. Now I know you all had a chance to show yourselves and your quirks off during the entrance exam. You might've had a chance to see our top ten ranking for it when you received your acceptance. If not, here's a brief chance to see where some of you stand coming into UA." At this, Aizawa swiped upwards on the tablet he was holding, causing a table of names and the points they earned to appear on the display behind him.

In first place was Katsumi Bakugou, with 77 points from defeating villains. Second Place with Eijiro Kirishima with 74 points, nearly evenly split between villain and rescue. Coming in a close Third, was a tie between Ochaco Uraraka and Izuku Midoriya: with both having 73 points. Further down yet was Tenya Iida in Fifth. And finally Fumikage Tokoyami in Eighth. Some cheers and smiles were shared between the class, congratulating each other for their performances; but, Katsumi's face had contorted into a scowl that she directed towards Izuku.

Aizawa gave the class a moment to calm back down before continuing, "As many of you may have noticed, only a portion of those top ten examines are in this class. That's because we at UA recognize that one test shouldn't determine one's worth or potential. That's why I've brought all of you out here today: we're going to test what you're capable of so I have a true baseline for you all." Upon saying this, he swiped sideways on the tablet, changing the display to now show a variety of activity names.

"Standing Long Jump, 50 Meter Dash, Grip Strength Test, Sustained Sideways Jumping, Softball Toss, and others. You may remember you took these physical exams in your middle school years. Of course at that time, you couldn't use your quirk." He paused and gave a hollow laugh before continuing, "That sort of data is completely useless in today's world. So we'll complete those tests again, gathering metrics with your quirks in use."

"Katsumi, what was your record for softball toss back then?" The woman in question dropped her glare momentarily as she turned to look at the teacher. Meanwhile, Aizawa slowly plodded over to a chalk circle drawn in the dirt where a bucket full of balls sat.

She held a hand to her chin in thought for a moment, then replied. "Something like 60 or 70 meters. Why?" In response Aizawa waved her over, which she replied to with an annoyed tongue click before acquiescing and stomping over. Once she got over to his side, he reached into the bucket, grabbed a ball and tossed it to her.

"Now, I want you to do a ball toss, but use your quirk while doing it." After hearing that, Katsumi's face lit up slightly as she gripped the ball in both hands and wound up.

Upon releasing the throw, a large ***BOOM*** and echoing shock-wave split through the field as an explosion came from her hand. Accompanying it was a shout of, "**DIE!**" A few moments passed, with the students staring in amazement as the ball rocketed through the air. As it disappeared from sight, Aizawa turned the tablet towards the class and directed their attention towards it. The screen showed a blinking output of "705.2 meters".

He began to speak again, cutting off the excited chatter of the class, "It's important for you all to know the extent of your abilities and limitations. This will be the baseline for your hero formation at UA." Once he stopped talking, chatter arose in the class again.

"You mean we can just cut loose and go all out?"

"We can use our quirks without holding back? That's UA's hero program for you!"

"Wow! That looked really fun, I'm excited to see how well I can do."

Throughout the chatter, Aizawa's expression became more sour, until at the final comment he broke into a fit of laughter. "Fun? You think that you'll just be able to pal around and take it easy here as you become a hero?" He paused and took a deep breath, a sadistic grin on his face, "Alright then. How about a little game to add to the 'fun'. Whoever is ranked last after all these tests will be deemed to have zero potential and be expelled."

Upon hearing this, an uproar rose from some of the students.

"You can't do that!"

"We've earned our place here already, this is unfair!"

Aizawa scowled and stared down his class, "Natural disasters, hostage situations with villains… accidents or calamities can occur anytime or anywhere in today's world. You need to be prepared to take on these challenges." He let a moment pass, then his wicked grin came back to his face as he laughed and brushed some hair back, "I've said it once, and I'll say it again. We teachers at UA are given incredible freedom in how we teach. If you don't want to deal with that you're welcome to leave."

He straightened up momentarily and held an arm out, inviting any of the students to walk away. After seeing none would move, he dropped his arm and posture then spoke up again.

"So. Shall we begin?"

* * *

Izuku Midoriya's first day at UA had been not quite what he expected. Although that might've been expected, considering the caliber of education UA provided, there had been some surprises. _"Sure I expected to have some excitement and some abnormal experiences here, but I didn't think the teacher would have us skip orientation, let alone threaten us with expulsion."_ Izuku shook himself free of his thoughts as he watched Mina and Aoyama compete in a 50 meter dash.

"_An important thing I need to remember is to not go all out like I did with the zero pointer. I can't compete if I collapse when I use my quirk… or quirks?"_ As he continued to think to himself, the race was over in an instant: Mina had used her acid quirk to secrete a liquid she skated on past the finish line, netting her a roughly 5 second finish. Meanwhile, Aoyama had turned around and used his naval blast to propel himself backwards, finishing tenths of a second later.

"_Even looking at everyone else, they've had their quirks for several years, if not at least a decade by now. They've learned the ins and outs of how they can use them, while I still don't even completely know my limits. I need to be-"_

"Runners 17 and 18, take your positions," Aizawa called out, jolting Izuku out of his thoughts as he approached the starting line. Next to him, Katsumi stepped onto her starting position, give him a sharp sideways glance.

"It's time for everyone to see you for the fraud you are. Have fun eating my dust, Deku." Her mouth momentarily split into a slight grin following the trash talk, but it just as rapidly disappeared as she lowered into a crouch.

"Yeah. We'll see about that." Izuku muttered, more so to himself as he also lowered into his starting block. The buzzer signaling the start of the race rang out, prompting both to break into a sprint. After a moment, Katsumi threw her arms straight back and began releasing a series of explosions propelling herself forward.

"**BLAST RUSH TURBO!**" She screamed as the force propelled her across the track, feet barely touching down. At the same time that she began the explosions, Izuku disappeared into the cloud of smoke trailing Katsumi. As she continued to rocket forward, the tell tale buzz of someone crossing the finish line occurred. Her eyes widened, and her explosions slowed for a moment as she noticed Izuku reappear in front of her across the finish line. He collapsed onto his hands and knees, while taking deep breaths. Seeing him finish before her caused Katsumi's vision to go red as she let out a loud scream and redoubled her explosive catapult across the finish line.

"Izuku Midoriya, 2.57 seconds. Katsumi Bakugou, 4.13 seconds." Aizawa lazily read aloud for the class. He gave a disdainful look at Izuku, as the younger man worked through a fit of wheezing and pulled himself to his feet. As he did that, some of his classmates came up to him with a mixture of shocked and amazed faces.

Mina was the first to speak up, her surprise apparent in her voice, "Wow, how did you go so fast Izuku? We thought you were going to lose to Katsumi, when you disappeared into that cloud behind her." Izuku took several more gulps of air between another labored cough.

"I haven't found out the complete extent of it yet, but I can augment my muscles or affect the world around me to do what I want. The way I think of it is as a Monkey's Paw." Izuku stopped upon seeing that some of his classmates didn't understand him. He paused and held a hand up to his mouth as he gave another raspy cough. "Sorry… let me try explaining it. What I ended up doing there was thinking that I wanted to instantly move myself to the finish line… like teleporting. The only problem is that my quirk usually comes at a cost, so it ends up taking the stress of running the entire 50 meter sprint and forces all that stress onto my body at once."

Now understanding the idea of 'how' that happened a bit better, the Tokoyami and a few others offered him their congrats for the fastest time yet. At the same time, Aizawa had been listening into the conversation and making some notes on his tablet. Shortly after, the rest of the students conducted their 50 meter dash, with every student completing in less than then seconds.

With that completed, the class moved onto the next set of trials: grip strength, standing long jump, and sideways jumps. Each person seemed to have their own strengths, with each test having students go far above and beyond their peers. In the case of the grip strength test, Shoji came out as the top rated, by completely crushing the measuring device with his multiple limbs. The final readout before the machine collapsed was around 540 kilograms. During the standing long jump test Momo was the stand out, having created a rudimentary jet pack with her creation quirk and easily clearing the length of the pit several times over. Finally, in the sideways jump test, it was clear that the number one spot would go to Mineta whose detachable hair balls allowed him to bounce between them several hundred times over, before he stopped and threw up.

The class had finally approached their last test: the softball toss. Tensions continued to ride high, with many of the class members being able to use their quirks to exceed in one test, but not any others. Izuku himself was not an exception: following the first test, he had resolved to hold out on recklessly using his quirk until they reached the end. Upon getting called up for his turn to do the test, Izuku's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions.

"_This is the final test, I haven't been doing too bad so far. I did get the best time in the 50 meter dash by a large margin, but after the whiplash from that I had to take the next few tests a bit easier… I need to make sure I secure my place at UA. Maybe I should use the quirk All Might gave me?"_ He shook himself from his thoughts, then grit his teeth as he took the ball in both hands. With a deep breath, he leaned back with the ball, then breathed out and felt the power surge through his arms towards the ball as his hand went to release it…

Suddenly, that burst of raw energy dissipated, and the ball unceremoniously fell to the ground only a few tens of meters in front of him. Izuku's jaw went slack as he could only stare as the ball rolled to a halt. He closed his mouth and turned back towards his teacher in an attempt to explain something was wrong. Instead, he came face to face with Aizawa: the man was using one hand to hold his hair away from his eyes, while they shined a bright crimson at him. The scarf that was wrapped around his neck had seemed to now be lazily floating around the man, while beneath them a set of goggles covered in various vertical slits and shutters were exposed. Izuku's mind raced as the man lowered his hand and his eyes relaxed slightly.

"Wait, that outfit and those goggles… You're the quirk erasing hero, Eraserhead!" The man gave a small chuckle upon hearing his hero name, then went back to a serious scowl and piercing glare.

"After watching you once again, I'm amazed they ever let someone like you into UA. You seem to have no control over your quirk whatsoever. Nothing about you seems to add up." Aizawa took another step closer and continued to glare at the shorter man, "As far as I can tell, you seem to lack the potential and self control a hero needs. How did you think you can come here and be a hero, when each time you use your quirk you end up laying yourself out?"

Aizawa then took a moment to stop talking, as he closed his eyes. He re-opened them, then took a step away from Izuku taking on a much less hostile posture, "I've stopped nullifying your quirk. So do whatever you were going to do. Or give up. Either way I'm right."

Izuku looked at the ball, once again swept up in a mixture of emotion. _"On the one hand, he is right. I'm pretty green when it comes to having a quirk and having any semblance of control… But I'm tired of other people telling me what I can and can't do. That doctor, condemning me to be powerless in a super-powered world. Kacchan, always looking down on me as something worthless. And now even my own teacher… There's got to be another way… think damnit."_

Izuku's eyes went wide as realization washed over him. _"I can use All Might's quirk and my own in conjunction. Use his to have the power to throw the ball, but use mine to distribute the whiplash to my body across it to minimize the damage."_ With that new thought, Izuku's face broke into a wide smile as he leaned back gathering his strength once again into his arm. Green light seemed to wash over his body and, with a grunt of exertion, he whipped the arm forward releasing the ball.

This time, the object soared much further, hurtling several hundred meters across the PE grounds. Izuku looked down at his hands, the palms of which were both a patchwork of black and blue bruises, then turned with his grin still plastered on his face and addressed his teacher, "As you can see Mr. Aizawa, I'm still standing. And I don't plan on going anywhere."

In turn, Aizawa looked from the defiant, grinning face of his student, to the tablet for the readout. "Izuku Midoriya, 705.3 meters." He gave a small laugh as he thought to himself, _"It seems I might've been wrong about this kid. You at least had the intelligence to hold yourself back, or at least find another work around… You might yet have the makings of a hero, Midoriya."_ Aizawa then pulled out the pad again and began to address the class, "Now for whose going h-"

"You can't be serious… YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" Katsumi shoved through the crowd gathered near Aizawa and Izuku, turning towards the elder as she did. "You've said it yourself! He's just a liability to himself and everyone around him. How can you just turn a blind eye towards that?!"

Aizawa sighed, then lowered the tablet to look back at Izuku, "I'm almost inclined to agree with Bakugou; but, it seems Midoriya was able to control himself, even if just for an instant. At least for now I'll let him be." He went back to looking at tablet again.

"Fine, if teach won't do anything about it… I'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU MYSELF!" With a twist of one arm Katsumi began creating explosions behind her back to propel herself towards Izuku, while the other was outstretched in a punch. In response, Izuku crossed his arms in a defensive stance, waiting for her force to slam into her, and winced instinctively causing his eyes to close.

A moment later, and he re-opened them to find Katsumi had been tangled up in a strange fabric centimeters from him, her hand desperately clawing at the air between the two of them.

"That's enough! Making me use my capture weapon on a student, do you want to be expelled?" He sighed and let the material slacken off Katsumi before wrapping it back around his neck. He continued as he pulled out a small vial and rapidly blinked his eyes, then dropped liquid from the vial onto them, "Don't make me use my quirk so much, I've got dry eyes."

Once freed from the bindings, Katsumi shoved past Izuku and moved to the opposite side of the class, while muttering the entire way, "That damn Deku. You've just been a pebble on my path to greatness. Nothing but a nobody to get in my way. And now you come out with a quirk like you're hot shit?" As she continued to fume, most of the classmates nearby stepped away to distance themselves from the ticking time-bomb.

"Now, as I was saying: The results are in for this gauntlet. The one of you who will be expelled is…" Aizawa paused, taking a moment to look around and smile at the distraught faces of his students, "None of you. I lied, it was a logical fallacy to make you work harder." He stared at the group down, then broke into a fit of laughter at the confused expressions within the class.

Momo was the first one to speak up, "Come on, think about it. It was just a ruse. I'm honestly surprised more of you didn't figure it out. UA would get a bad rap if they were just tossing students out whenever they wanted."

Aizawa gave a small nod, then continued, "You're all dismissed for today. Go change out." He then turned to Izuku, putting a hand on his shoulder, "You've survived today and proved me wrong, let's see if you can keep it up. Though go the Recovery Girl and make sure nothing is broken or tomorrow will be even more of a problem."

* * *

**UA- Teachers' Offices**

"Now, don't make a habit of coming to see me. This time you got away with some superficial bruising, but going by the last time I saw you it seems like you just got lucky this time. You need to remember, there's only so much my quirk can do, your body will have to take care of anything severe itself." Recovery Girl lectured Izuku as she finished putting ointment on and wrapping his hands in some bandages. "Go on now and get some rest." She handed him some gummies, then ushered him out the door and back towards the changing rooms for the PE grounds.

In the nearby teachers' lounge, a different conversation was occurring between two teachers: Shota Aizawa and an incredibly buff man next to him.

"For God's sake Shota, you've literally just got your hands on them. Are you already trying to get rid of your class?" The larger figure questioned of Aizawa. In response, Aizawa brushed past the larger man and poured himself a cup of coffee. He took a long gulp of the rich dark liquid, then slowly replied.

"Of course not, you seemed to have been being nosy and stalking my class, so you should know that it was all just a ruse." He took another long drink from his coffee as the other man replied.

"That's a lie and we both know it. Last year, you expelled your entire class of first years! You must've felt and seen the potential of those youngsters, right?"

"No, rather they all are above the 'worthless' line. If any of them lapse and drop below that, I won't hesitate to remove them from the hero course. Is that all you wanted to talk about? Don't you have a burning building to save people from, or a cartel to take down?"

The larger man frowned at the frankness of Aizawa response, then began leaving with a "No, that's all I wanted to ask."

* * *

**UA- PE Grounds**

After taking a detour, Izuku arrived back in the changing rooms the students had gone into earlier in the day. Upon entering the men's locker room, Izuku was surprised to find much of the class was still there. Some such as Tokoyami and Ojiro had already changed back into their uniforms, and were merely milling about talking while others changed. As Izuku took off the PE uniform, he noticed one smaller man was pacing alongside the wall.

"Hey." _"Shit, what was the grape headed guy's name… he was the one that got frozen the other day…"_ As Izuku racked his brain, Tenya caught on and called out.

"Mineta, what are you pacing along the wall for?" The shorter, purple-haired man turned to answer the two men as he stroked his chin.

"Men, you realize where we are?"

"Uh, the men's locker room?" Called out Sero from the side. Mineta shook his head, then furrowed his eyebrows.

"No. Well, yeah, we are. But we are just centimeters away from the promised land. If I can just find a hole connecting us to the other side…" Some of the other men clicked their tongues or shook their heads in disgust, while others were confused by the comment.

Tokoyami spoke up to clarify what Mineta meant for those still confused, "He's looking for a hole in the wall to peep on the girls. How deplorable." As he said this, Mineta gave a small yelp. The curious and annoyed within the room turned to find that the smaller man was on his tippy toes with his face smashed up against the wall.

"Oooo! You guys have no idea what you're missing out on." The surrounding men looked on him with disgust, with some of them beginning to move to pry him away from the wall. "Wait, where'd it go? What is- OW my eye!" Mineta fell back from the wall onto the tiled floor, holding both hands over a now slightly red and puffy eye. He quickly sprang to his feet while yelling, "You think that'll stop me? I'll never give up! This is just a minor setback!"

In response, a chorus from both sides of the wall rang out, "Give it a rest!" With a muffled voice that sounded like Jirou's saying, "I won't go as easy on your other eye." Some of the men started to filter out of the locker room, as Izuku continued to change back into his slacks and Mineta continued to search along the wall. Another yelp from Mineta had Izuku mentally swearing as he closed his eyes, then opened them to turn and face him.

"Mineta, right? I don't think we met the other day." Izuku held out a hand to the shorter man as he got his attention. In response, the purple-haired man pulled himself away from his new peeping hole to size Izuku up.

"Yeah. You're Izuku, right? You were making pretty big splashes at today's tests." He grasped Izuku's hand and began to shake it.

"_Now to put the pressure on him… literally."_ Izuku gave Mineta a wide smile as he began to grasp his hand harder and squeeze with a bit more force. _"It'll be fine if I use some of All Might's quirk, right?"_ He let power surge into the hand grasping Mineta's until the shorter man began to visibly panic.

"Ah, wow. You've got a hell of a handshake." Mineta's eyes went wide as he looked at Izuku's still smiling face, "Hey man, it's starting to hurt a bit, could you ease up." In response, Izuku began to squeeze his hand even harder as the smile began to drop from his face.

"I know it's been a stressful first day Mineta, but you shouldn't go around peeping on people, let alone your classmates. We've all worked hard to get here, and I don't want to see one of my classmates end up being emotionally scarred or harassed by someone else we're living and going to school with." He stared down into the purple-haired man's eyes, keeping his gaze as he continued, "Now, you're gonna stop sexually harassing our classmates, then you and I are going to go outside and wait so you can apologize to them. Or we can see what will give out first: my firm handshake or your hand?"

Mineta gave Izuku a series of rapid nods and a squeaky, "I gotcha, so please let go of my hand," before gasping and scrambling away when Izuku finally released his iron grip. The purple-haired man rapidly changed into his outfit, then scrambled outside.

"My, that was rather impressive," Tenya came up and said to Izuku as he finished changing into his blazer. "That's a side of you I had yet to see. Of course, I was going to step up and make sure Mineta's behavior would not continue; but, perhaps your method will be more effective."

Izuku turned to Tenya with a smile on his face, "Of course you were man. It's just… seeing people being taken advantage of like that really pisses me off. Sorry if that seemed like a bit too much." The other man gave him a slight shake of the head, as if to say "I don't think so", then gave him a small pat on the back before walking outside.

* * *

"Mineta, you had something you wanted to say to everyone, **right**?" Izuku said as he elbowed the shorter man next to him. The purple-haired man gulped and nodded.

"Right. I uh… did something I shouldn't have that was insensitive and disrespectful to you all, so I'd like to apologize." He put his hands in his pockets, while waiting to hear any of the women say anything in return. After a few moments of silence, he felt Izuku place a hand and his head and force him to bow over.

"What I think he meant to say is that he was a degenerate piece of trash, and what he did was unforgivable; but, he will try his best to not repeat this or he'll suffer horrific consequences. Right?" Izuku said forcefully, while glaring at Mineta. The shorter man teared up slightly, and nodded his head while rapidly saying, "yeah, that's what I meant." After some raised eyebrows between 1A's women, they looked at Izuku then Mineta, and shrugged before saying, "Apology considered."

With that, Izuku let Mineta go, the shorter man scampering off towards the 1A dorms. A few of the women stayed behind, offering Izuku brief thank yous, before also going their own way. As people trickled away, Izuku noticed that Tenya had stayed behind, and from the women's locker Ochaco had just emerged. She walked over towards the two, her ever cheerful smile on her face.

"Hi again! You two were super impressive today. It's Tenya and… Deku, right?" She questioned after trying to remember their names. Upon hearing the insulting nickname, Izuku frowned for a moment before replying.

"It's Izuku actually. Deku is just the demeaning nickname Kacch- Katsuki gave to me when we were little kids." Even bringing up the memory made Izuku's brow furrowed as he frowned again. Ochaco held her hands up to her mouth as he cheeks were dusted a light shade of pink.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I had no idea. I thought it had like a 'keep on fighting' or 'never give up' vibe to it." She held a fist up in the air, punctuating her statement.

"Oh, if that's how you see it, I don't mind you calling me Deku then," Izuku managed to stammer out as he blushed. As he idly scratched the back of his head, Tenya gave a small cough, reminding the other two he was there.

"Nice to talk to you once again Ochaco Uraraka. That was quite amazing that you were able to get such an incredibly record for the softball toss. Though I guess with a gravity defying quirk like yours, getting that ball into space and beyond is to be expected," Tenya offered. He then continued, "Shall we walk back together?"

Ochaco was quick to respond with a bubbly, "Sure!' with Izuku nearly offering an affirmation of his own before reconsidering.

"Actually, I might've forgotten something. I'll double check and catch up with you!" With that, the other two set out towards their dorm happily talking back in forth about the exciting first day. Izuku smiled as the two walked away, and after some distance was put between them let the smile drop and turned to face the women's locker room.

"So, do you want to come out now and get this over with, or did you want to wait until my back was to you?" Izuku seemingly questioned the air. A moment later, and Katsumi emerged from the locker room, her backpack haphazardly hanging from one shoulder. She glared at him without saying anything for a few moments.

After far too long an uncomfortable silence, she began to stomp directly towards Izuku with her hands begin to curl into fists. When she was less than a meter away, she brought a fist up and swung it towards Izuku. He instinctively closed his eyes, mind flashing back to all the beatings he'd received growing up. He forced his eyes back open and blinked rapidly as her fist stopped just short of his face. Katsumi kept the fist curled, but lowered it back to her side and turned away from Izuku.

"Deku, you shitrag! I don't have the energy to beat you up today." She paused and looked down at her feet before continuing more quietly, "Were you trying to make me seem like some sort of chump? Is this some con you and everyone else are trying to trick me?" She turned back towards Izuku and shoved past him, "Quirks are supposed to manifest by age four at the latest. You're just supposed to be some powerless loser! Why! How!" As Katsumi continued to walk away, Izuku raised an eyebrow at the odd interaction with Katsumi before he trailed behind her back towards the dorms. What Izuku couldn't see though, was Katsumi's face didn't reflect the anger that infected her voice, but was rather coated in tears.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

If you'd like to come discuss the work, things pertaining to other works I've done, or become a beta for this work - join my discord at /xFuDyVM

As always, I do not own 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia, this is a fan-work:  
It is the work of Kōhei Horikoshi, serialized by Weekly Shōnen Jump, and animated by Bones.  
The English release is provided by Viz Media and Funimation.

Please Support the Official Releases.

* * *

For those curious how Class 1A fared compared to one another following the physical exams:

Shota's Class 1A Ranking:

1\. Yaoyorozu Momo  
2\. Todoroki Shino  
3\. Bakugou Katsumi  
4\. Midoriya Izuku  
5\. Iida Tenya  
6\. Tokoyami Fumikage  
7\. Shoji Mezo  
8\. Tsuyu Asui  
9\. Kirishima Eijiro  
10\. Ashido Mina  
11\. Uraraka Ochaco  
12\. Koda Koji  
13\. Sato Rikido  
14\. Ojiro Mashirao  
15\. Aoyama Yuuga  
16\. Sero Hanata  
17\. Jirou Kyouka  
18\. Kaminari Denki  
19\. Hagakure Toru  
20\. Mineta Minoru


	10. Chapter 10

_Italics_ denotes an individual's thoughts

**Bold **denotes large time shifts/ or introductions of new settings; also may be used for emphasis

Line dividers denote a smaller scene or time shift

* * *

**Ch. 10 Reckoning**

* * *

**Office Building of Unknown City**

A ***RUMBLE*** of an explosion tore through the city once again, followed by the loud ***FOOM*** of it's shock wave and the settling of rubble. The side of a ten story office building gave way, the drab gray concrete breaking off in large chunks from the roof and walls of the tenth through eighth stories. Sunlight flooded down through the wound that had been carved through the two stories to reveal two figures.

Izuku pulled himself up, wincing as he looked down at the mangled mess that was his right hand and part of his forearm right above it. The part of the limb in question was a patchwork of black and blue bruises, and a mixture of severe burns. The fabric of his hero costume had been incinerated along the arm and hung charred and tattered around his bicep. He cradled the arm with his left hand, then narrowed his eyes at the person across from him.

Katsumi was doubled over with a pained expression on her face. She sucked in a short breath as she looked down at her left arm: where her gauntlet for her hero costume had been, now was exposed flesh that was a mixture of angry reds along with some dark purple bruising. She let out a shout of frustration and anger, then lifted her head to focus her furious gaze on Izuku.

The two took a moment to size up each others injuries, then began taking slow steps across the concrete floor of the crumbling building. Slow paces progressed to an all out sprint, and with vicious yells, the two leapt at each other.

As Izuku threw a left hook at Katsumi and she in return pulled up her remaining gauntlet to blast him, the building let out another pained groan, creaking as the cracked concrete strained under the two's battle.

For a moment, the world was silent as two attacks hurtled through the air. Then the ceiling above them collapsed plunging the area into a dust cloud.

* * *

**Several Hours Prior- UA Class 1A Homeroom**

Today was the first day of classes for UA. The first years were madly chattering away, talking about their expectations for what their teachers and lessons would be like. Contrary to some of the students' beliefs, 1A's school day began like most others: lessons would be taught for the first few hours of the morning on history, language, mathematics, etc. with the only twist being they were taught by pro heroes.

"Hey now class! Are you ready to learn about English? Let me hear you shout!" Present Mic enthusiastically yelled to the class as his distinct gelled up mohawk of blonde hair appeared from the doorway. He stepped into the classroom, then turned to face the class and raised a hand up to his ear. A few awkward groans rose from the class, followed by a general unenthusiastic, "Yeah." He stood in front of the class for another moment before letting the arm drop. He cleared his throat before picking up a textbook and turning towards the chalk board to continue.

After far too long of listening to Present Mic's lectures, the lesson finally came to an end and gave a brief respite to the class as they waited for the next teacher to arrive. This carried on with other famous pros showing up to teach their own lessons: The next teacher was a tall and wiry man in a long tan trench coat-like cloak that covered the black bodysuit he wore beneath. His head was covered in the same black bodysuit, and a set of ear mufflers and jaw-guard that were both gold. The only other visible part of him was the two prosthetic peg legs that stuck out from the bottom of the cloak. He introduced himself as the pro hero Ectoplasm saying that the next block of time would be devoted to him teaching mathematics to the class.

The next figure was a very blocky grey looking creature. He had a flat wide head that was shaped like a cement block, with the only prominent features being his eyes, mouth, and the gray ponytail that sprouted from the back of his head. His outfit consisted of a sleeveless brown jumpsuit and pair of dark grey boots. His posture and facial expression seemed very calm and slightly contemplative. After taking a moment to crack open his nearly closed eyes and gaze around the room, the man's posture relaxed again and he introduced himself as Cementoss: then he promptly launched straight into several lectures ranging from an introduction to Modern Literature to the importance of a balanced knowledge base.

The final class of the morning introduced 1A's first female teacher. As Cementoss left, a pair of black thigh-high boots ***CLICKED*** across the doorway of the classroom. They carried a woman in a rather risque outfit: She wore a white, nearly flesh toned, bodysuit that hugged her voluptuous frame tightly. On top of that was a set of translucent black thigh high stockings while her chest and torso were covered by a black leather bra-less leotard. Her bright blue eyes were framed by a red mask and her long, dark purple hair that trailed all the way down her back. She gazed around the room, licked her lips, then cracked a small flog-like whip in the air to get the class's attention. She introduced herself as their final teacher for the 'traditional' morning courses: Midnight. With that out of the way, she followed up with a surprisingly provocative and meandering introduction to her course in Modern Hero Art History.

Before they had realized, Class 1A's morning lessons were over and they were excused at noon to get lunch at the UA Grand Mess Hall. The room was a large open area designed similar to an upscale food court. The center of the room was a spread of various tables that each had ten seats, organized into neat rows. To space out the tables from one another, rows of decorative planters and trash bins were run parallel to the seats. The side of the room the class had entered from jut out as a second floor balcony above the room. Two grand staircase split from either side descending to the room below. On both the right and left, the walls had transitioned to floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Meanwhile, the area nestled between the stairs and opposite it were two kitchens serving food to the students that had already funneled in for lunch. Class 1A's students took a moment to soak in the impressive area before their stomachs began to rumble, leading them to split their separate ways and grab meals.

Shortly after grabbing a tray of food, Izuku wandered the area looking for a free table. Along the way, he saw a familiar grenette who locked eyes with him: Izuku shifted the tray to one arm and waved to Setsuna, giving her a cheerful smile which she returned before she went back to talking to the woman with bright orange hair next to her. A few tables later and Izuku had taken a seat, joined by several other classmates soon after.

A few minutes passed of quiet chatter, interrupted occasionally by students grabbing a mouthful of food off the tray. Any talking ceased, when a scraggly looking man walked by the table asking how the food was: he was wearing a double breasted white jacket and torque- the typical uniform of a high end chef- along with what appeared to be a mask covering his face with a large tube from the mask snaking across his shoulder and down his back.

Izuku shot straight up at the sight of the man, quickly reaching into his backpack and pulling out his current hero journal. He thumbed to a page as he shakily held the notebook and pen out to the man, "Oh my gosh, Mr. Lunch-Rush! I can't believe it's you! It's a pleasure to meet you sir! Your food is just as amazing as they say it is! Oh gosh I'm rambling… could I get an autograph, sir?" The man in question gave a thumbs up, then signed the blank page with a flourish before turning to the rest of the table and giving the other students a thumbs up, then walking away. Izuku turned back to the table to find his classmates staring at him.

"What? I'm a fan." He turned and put the notebook back into his backpack before sitting back down, "Didn't you know? Most if not almost all of the staff here are pro heroes." Izuku went back to enthusiastically eating his food as the conversation picked back up.

"I'm not as surprised by the fact that our teachers are pros, considering the reputation UA has for their education. I'm more surprised by the fact that so many of them are wearing their pro outfits," spoke up Tokoyami as he held a hand beneath his beak.

"I can't believe that Midnight is able to wear that costume at all! I understand having a theme and all, but an outfit that highlights your figure as much as hers does... along with her personality, it just seems a bit over the top..." Kirishima added as he nervously scratched at his face. Most of the group's faces flushed scarlet as they remembered their teacher's risque dominatrix outfit.

Momo then followed up with another thought, "Considering they are pro heroes, perhaps they are wearing their outfits in case they are called for an emergency? Just because they're teachers doesn't mean they don't have other duties they may still have to attend to."

"Still, besides their choice of apparel, the classes have been rather normal for what I would have expected out of UA. Though there is still a whole afternoon ahead of us I suppose," spoke up Tenya as he adjusted his glasses.

The rest of lunch proceeded rather normally, with the new students discussing who they thought the best teacher would be and what their favorite subjects were so far. As a tone rang out across the PA system, the students and staff milling about in the Mess Hall disposed of their remaining food and shuffled back to their classrooms.

Class 1A had returned to their homeroom, only to find that no teacher had joined them. Minutes passed with nothing seemingly occurring, besides students idly chatting and doodling in their notebooks. Suddenly, a racket arose in the hallway: it sounded like a mixture of a stampede of elephants accompanied by a strong rush of wind. As Aoyama got up from his seat near the door to peek into the hallway, the sliding door was thrown open by a muscular hand! A chiseled face, topped with bright yellow hair sticking up like two rabbit ears in the middle of his head, thrust through the doorway.

"I am here! …coming through the door like a normal person." All Might stood before the class in all his glory. He wore an outfit differing from his classic look, this time opting for a red upper body covered in white circles. Contrasting that was dark blue pants and a cape of the same color fluttering slightly on his shoulders. His ensemble was completed by bright yellow gauntlets, boots, and a belt that matched his iconic hair. He held his hands in the air, shushing the class down slightly.

"Welcome to Foundational Hero Studies! We'll be building on and testing your abilities as heroes through trials that UA and I have setup." He turned away, grabbing something out of his pocket, then spun around dramatically with a small plaque that had 'Battle' written on it. "Today, your trial will be combat! You will have your first taste of true conflict; but, before that we have a gift for you!"

He turned and pointed towards the wall opposite the classroom windows. Panels slide aside, revealing compartments that mechanically slid from their slots on the walls. They were opaque bins numbered one to twenty. All Might pointed a large finger in the air as he continued, "Today, you all get a taste of what it's like to be a hero. For that to occur, we took your specifications you'd submitted and had this gear created for you!"

Many of the students shot up out of their chairs, staring with awe and excitement towards the bins. A few cheers of "Finally, our own gear!" and "I can't wait to get started!" rang out across the room.

"Now, take the bin matching your seating number, get changed, and meet me outside!" rang the heroic voice of All Might as he dashed out the doorway and into the hallway.

* * *

**UA Grounds B **

To Izuku's surprise, when he opened the box labeled with his desk number he found the outfit his mother had hand made him. _"I'm not really sure if I'm more shocked by the violation of my privacy by someone getting this from my room. Or the fact that someone knew about this in the first place. I guess I should be thankful considering I haven't had my quirk registered and didn't provide any data to the team who made the outfits though."_ He took a moment to run his thumb across the material, then stripped down and put the outfit on. After a moment of mentally thanking his mother for making him the costume, he pulled it out of the box: The turquoise jumpsuit was the same as when his mother gave it to him. It consisted of a one-piece turquoise jumpsuit that had white lines running down his sides and sleeves. The knees and elbows were covered by thick black pads, while he wore bright red boots and a matching red belt. Sewn into the neck was an impromptu cowl of the same turquoise material as the jumpsuit: the top of the head formed what looked like two large rabbit ears, while a facemask covered his mouth in what looked like a comically large smile. Izuku took another moment to look over the costume, before taking a deep breath and putting it on.

A few minutes later, he was out of the locker rooms and headed towards the small crowd that was his class milling about at the entrance to the cityscape.

Izuku took a moment to look around, appreciating the various outfits his classmates wore. Sato, Tokoyami, and Shoji stood off talking to one another on the side. Sato wore a skin-tight yellow bodysuit, with only a tuft of his brown hair and his mouth exposed, and on his hip was a belt with several small pockets and pouches. Tokoyami was wrapped up in a jet black robe, with only his head and the black boots on his feet exposed. Meanwhile, Shoji's outfit was a light blue tank top that rose up into an indigo collar that covered his face and matching light blue pants that had darker blue accents. He wore boots of the same midnight blue, along with a belt of the same color that looked like an eye. As Izuku approached, the group gave him a mixture of nods and waves as he walked towards the front of the crowd.

Opposite the three boys was another group, this time composed of Aoyama, Kaminari, Kirishima, and Jiro. Jiro and Kaminari seemed to be arguing about something, while Aoyama was trying to interject and Kirishima merely stood by and watched. Jiro and Kaminari seemed to have relatively plain outfits: she had a black leather jacket over a long salmon shirt that flowed slightly past her hips. Below that, she had matching black pants, and a set of black combat boots that looked like they had speakers built into the shaft. Kaminari's hero costume was similar, consisting of a black jacket and pants that were accented with white lightning bolts. Underneath the jacket was a plain white tee-shirt, while his only other accessory was a small square earphone with an antenna over his right ear. Aoyama kept trying to interrupt the argument to get the other two to look at his flashy costume: the arms, legs, and chest were all polished silver armor pieces styled to look like a medieval knight. The stand out parts of it, however, were the blue crystal belt buckle, comically large wing-shaped red glasses, and purple cape. Izuku turned away from Aoyama, raising an eyebrow at the outfit, then looked at Kirishima. His chest was completely bare, while two large red gears sat around his shoulders. He wore a pair of jet black pants that were partially obscured by a tattered red cape around his waist. Finally, his face was framed by a black jagged face guard that made him look like a demon.

The next group Izuku passed by was another small group of men in extremely different outfits: Koji, Sero, and Ojiro. Koji's costume was extremely simple: it consisted of yellow shorts, a red shirt with yellow sleeves and an open mouth pictured on the chest, and a pair of yellow shoes. Ojiro's was equally simple: it consisted of a plain white karate gi, with a modified left collar that had a large tuft of blonde fur. The top was held together by a thick black belt, while his feet were covered by black pointed boots with light blue accents. Sero's costume was slightly more complex than the other two's: It consisted of a black sleeveless bodysuit that ended in a turtleneck. His waist had a jagged white design breaking up the flow of the bodysuit, while his feet were covered in knee-high white boots. His shoulders had orange pads, shaped like tape dispensers, while his head was covered by a helmet that was the same shape and color as the shoulder pads.

Izuku muttered a quiet "excuse me" as he made his way around the group to the next pair of classmates: Momo and Mina stood chatting and complimenting one another's outfits. The latter was wearing a bodysuit that was a splotched mixture of turquoise and purple. Above that, she wore a short, sleeveless tan waistcoat that had a white fur collar. Her eyes were covered by a white mask, while her feet had a pair of purple and beige knee-high boots. Momo wore a much more revealing outfit in contrast: It was composed of a sleeveless crimson leotard with a high collar, that had silver rings around her arms. The leotard was open in the front, from her neck down to slightly above her navel, creating a window of exposed skin. Slightly above her chest was a gold utility belt, while another two sat around her waist cradling a large book on the small of her back. Her outfit was rounded out by a pair of knee-high crimson boots.

As Izuku glanced at the two while walking by someone next to him spoke up, "Makes you really appreciate the heroics course, huh?" He turned his head, then looked down slightly to find Mineta next to him, openly ogling Momo and Mina. His costume consisted of a purple shirt and pants, along with a matching cowl that flowed up just to the edge of his hair. On his hands and feet were pairs of oversized neon yellow gloves and boots, while a short equally angry yellow cape hung around his neck. On his waist was a pair of white shorts, that seemed to stretch out in the shape of a thick, solid bowl around him. Izuku took a deep breath to stop himself from punching the shorter man, and instead opted for slapping him in the back of the head as he walked away.

The last group Izuku came across as he walked to the front of the crowd was composed of Tenya, Tsuyu, and Ochaco. Tsuyu's costume base was a bright green bodysuit with two dark green stripes going down from between each shoulder and her neck. Her legs were covered in black thigh high boots that ended in flippers shaped like green frog's toes on her feet. Her hands were covered by light tan gloves, while a pair of the same color goggles sat idly on her forehead. Tenya had a similar base, but it was a black bodysuit instead. Over this, he had a complex mixture of silver armor on his arms, legs and chest. Right below his chest armor was a set of three dark pipes that swooped up from his stomach, under his armpits, and out behind his back. The armored boots on his legs were slightly more detailed, having gold pieces right below his knee and on the sides of his calves. His face was obscured by a silver helmet that was crowned with ridges along the top center, while two horns stuck out and back from the sides. Finally, Ochaco's costume consisted also of a full black bodysuit, with the major change being pale pink streaks down the middle and around her shoulders. Her forearms were covered by pink gauntlets that had dark pink handles on the backside. Meanwhile, her legs were covered with thick rounded pink boots and her waist had a two-piece pink belt that met in front of her.

Ochaco's face lit up and she waved Izuku over as he walked through the crowd, "Deku over here!" He waved back and walked in the group's direction.

"That's quite the outfit Tenya. Really creates a whole theme, almost like something out of Kamen Rider!" Izuku said to the other man as he got closer. The other man bashfully rubbed the back of his helmet before striking some heroic poses. Izuku then gave a small wave and hello to Tsuyu as she stared at him approaching. She let out a small ***RIBBIT*** then smiled back at him.

Ochaco spoke up again, catching Izuku's attention so he turned to look at her again, "Wow, your costume looks super cool Deku! Seems like it's really practical." Izuku smiled under his mask at the compliment then tried to return the compliment to Ochaco.

"Thanks! It was actually home-made… anyways, your costume looks great on you!" He stopped for a moment, his face flushing that he might've said something a bit forward, "I mean, it looks really comfortable!" Ochaco's face flushed scarlet, whether at the compliment or the initial statement Izuku offered it was hard to say. After taking a moment to calm herself, she replied.

"Actually I wish I'd drawn my request a bit better. It came out a bit puffier in some places and a bit tighter in others than I would've liked." As she said this, she pulled slightly at the sleeve of her bodysuit to highlight her point. The group stood in relative silence before Ochaco perked up and spoke up again.

"You missed it! I'm not sure what happened, but it seemed like those two were gonna go at it earlier." She pointed off a ways from the class where Katsumi and Todoroki stood a meter or two apart from one another. She continued, "Yeah, the spikey haired always angry one got really mad about something, then went up to that other girl. She tried pushing her and trying to start a fight, but the other girl didn't even seem to acknowledge that she existed."

Izuku took a moment to gaze off in the directions of Shino and Katsumi. The former's outfit was extremely simple: she was wearing a long sleeve white shirt, along with matching white pants and boots. Around her shoulders were two large golden belts. The most unique part of her costume was an ice like material that covered almost all of her left side: from her hair and the side of her face all the way down to the top of her boot. Katsumi's costume was much more lively and detailed in comparison. Her top was a sleeveless black shirt that had an orange 'X' crossing over her torso. The collar of her shirt was a thick metal 'U' that ran around her neck. Below her waist, she wore a set of baggy black pants, with black and orange boots on top of them. Connecting the pants and boots were a set of rugged silver knee pads. Connecting the shirt and pants was a set of green belts, with what Izuku hoped were fake 'grenades' hanging from the waist. Her forearms were covered with giant grenade shaped gauntlets, while her hands had green gloves with orange palms. The final detail of her costume was a black mask across her eyes. It flared back behind her head in large orange tipped spikes, giving one the image of an explosion within her hair.

"Gather round class!" bellowed All Might's voice, snapping Izuku's attention away from the other students. The students slowly trickled over, forming a semi-circle around their new teacher. Once the group had quieted down, he began his instructions.

"Now that I have you all here, looking like and ready to be real heroes, it's time for your first trial!" He threw his hands on his hips then bellowed, "A two versus two indoor battle. Heroes versus villains! As you may or may not be aware, most villainous actions occur indoors. Kidnappings, Prison Breaks, Black Market Deals! No villain worth his salt would do these sort of things out in the open. That's why today we'll have you partner up and practice fighting indoors."

***RIBBIT*** "But what about the fundamentals? A foundation for all this?" Spoke up Tsuyu with her hand slightly raised. All Might aggressively shook his head side to side in response.

"That's an excellent question young lady! But this IS your foundation. Your starting line for your training is here." At this, a number of questions came from the class.

"Ok, how much will wins or losses count for us?"

"How will we choose teams? We must preserve the integrity of the competition, correct?"

"Will we be expelled if we fail?"

All Might held up one hand in the air to silence the class as another rose and rubbed his temples, he then reached into a pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper before re-pocketing it, "I wasn't done explaining yet… Now, as I was saying… Villains will go and guard a 'nuclear bomb' within a building. It is the heroes' job to capture the villains or claim the device before time is up, while the villains will do their best to stop the heroes by whatever means." He then turned and grabbed a large box from behind him, "We'll use this box to determine your teams by lottery. You don't always get the luxury of choosing who you work with in the field, so be ready to think and stay on your toes!"

He held the box out, urging the class to come forward and grab the paper slips within, "And with that, let's get going!"

* * *

**Mock Fight #1- Abandoned Office Building Situation **

Izuku mentally cursed his bad luck and crumpled up the paper in his hand as he and his partner walked towards the building All Might had designated for the first battle. Slight behind and to the side of Izuku, Mineta paced muttering about how "hopeless this was" and "we should just give up now". As he was turning to yell at the shorter man, All Might's voice rang out through the earpieces he had given to the students.

"I AM IN YOUR EAR! Do you read me? Give me a thumbs up or something," The older hero's voice went silent, and with a sigh, Izuku gave the empty air a thumbs up. A few silent moments later and the hero's voice was heard again, "Thanks for your confirmation hero team; and, villain team I'll take that disrespectful gesture as proof you can hear me too." Silence filled the line again.

"Now, just to repeat in case either team didn't pay attention or remember: You have 15 minutes to assault or defend the villain's base. You can use your quirks, within reasonable limits, to capture your opponents or strategize. All of us here will be watching you but won't be able to hear you, so put on a good show. AND REMEMBER! This is a mock battle: if I see any of you get too violent, I'll be stepping in and both teams will lose." There was another pause on the line before All Might spoke up again, "Now, the villain team has had their five minutes to prepare. Heroes! Begin your assault in 3… 2… 1… GO!"

Izuku took a deep breath as he looked at the exterior of the building the villain team was in, then gave a sideways glance at Mineta. "No time to waste," he muttered under his breath before stepping across the threshold.

* * *

**Abandoned Office Building- Ninth Floor **

As the heroes just entered into the building, the two villains stood in an empty room filled with concrete support beams. In the center stood a large metal bomb about two meters tall painted a deep black with stripes of crimson on it. A fifteen minute timer slowly trickled down on a display jetting from its side. A man in silver armor looked over the device before turning to his accomplice.

"Now, Ms. Bakugou. We must get ourselves into character and prepare for their assault." Tenya cleared his throat, then let loose a long cackling laugh. "Yes, now those pathetic heroes won't stand a chance against our combined might! The nuclear device will blow up regardless of their efforts!" Tenya leaned back and let loose another cackle, causing Katsumi's brow to furrow.

"Shut it you extra. If you don't shut up, I'm gonna be coming back to kick your ass too right after I get that idiot Deku." She glared at Tenya, the contempt and truth of her promise shining through her expression. The man promptly snapped his mouth shut and turned to look back at the bomb. She furrowed her brow in thought before snapping a Tenya again, "so that nerd Deku has a quirk, huh?"

Tenya straightened up slightly, "It would appear so, but from what we've seen it's high risk and his control seems-" Katsumi was already retreating into her own mind, blocking out what Tenya had replied to her. _"That damn, useless asshole has just been fooling me all this time?! I'm gonna make him pay for it!"_

Katsumi stepped across the room towards the stairwell, yelling back over her shoulder, "Now just stay there like a good little extra, and I'll take the garbage out downstairs." Tenya turned back and reached forward with an arm as he called out after her.

"I don't think that's a good idea to go alone, shouldn't we be working together?" Katsumi whipped back to face Tenya, eyes wide and nostrils flaring.

"Let me give you a heads up. I don't give a damn what you think. Those two jokers we're up against are nothing, I'm going to go beat the shit out of them and get this stupid test over with. If you're gonna get in my way, I won't think twice about smashing that helmet of yours in… got it?" She didn't even wait for a reply as she went to the stairwell and began descending to the next floor.

Tenya shook his head at his teammates inability to cooperate, but even more so her open hostility.

"Oh bother."

* * *

**Second Floor **

"Come ooooooooooon Midoriya. Can't you just teleport yourself up there… or the bomb down here? It'd just be over in an instant…" Mineta whined as the two finished scouting out the floor. They still hadn't seen any sign of the bomb or the villains, but considering there was another eight floors they could be on it wasn't too surprising.

Izuku sighed as he struggled to not burst a blood vessel from the stress. "Once again, we've been over this. I _think_ I could do that. But that also has a number of unknowns about that. Is the bomb super heavy? Would I try to use my quirk for getting it here, only to find out I was only able to move it a meter from where they hid it and then collapsed. Or if I tried just teleporting straight to it, would I just collapse immediately from going however far away it is from me?" Izuku raised an eyebrow as he looked at the diminutive man before he asked a question of your own.

"Why the hell are you even here Mineta? At UA I mean. From all I've seen, you don't seem like you want to actually put in the work for heroics, and you just piss away time staring at and harassing the girls in our class." Izuku let a small sigh of relief escaped his lips as the question that had been weighing on his mind was out in the open. Upon looking at the shorter man again, he noticed that his face was scrunched up and shadowed. Izuku kept walking forwards before realizing Mineta had stopped in place. The purple-haired man had sat down and was holding his face in his hands.

"It's because I wanted to prove myself I guess…" he finally spoke up. Izuku raised another eyebrow at this while Mineta continued, "I mean look at me," he paused to emphasize it by holding his arms wide, "I'm a super short guy with what a lot of people would consider a sub par quirk. You wouldn't know what it's like to have a second rate ability." Izuku's harsh facade eased up slightly as he let loose a quick laugh. He stopped himself after a second, remembering the combat exercise they were in.

"You have no idea. You think I've had this quirk forever? That I've been using it all the time? Up until a few months ago, I didn't even know I had a quirk. I know what it's like to be beaten and cursed at because of what I can't do." He gave the other man a look of pity as he continued, "Why do you think I hurt myself every time I used my quirk? It's strong but I still don't know how the hell to use it!" Izuku took a few deep breaths and let his voice quiet back down.

"You know what, yeah, you're right. You don't have a quirk that can instantly create insane amounts of ice. And you don't sweat explosives. And you can't punch a hole straight through a building." Mineta began to look down at the ground, his face completely crestfallen as Izuku continued, "BUT, look at where you are now. You're at UA with the rest of us. One way or another, you were able to get into Class 1A. And I saw you during those tests we did during Homeroom: you have a good grasp of ways to use your quirk." Izuku went over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You should give yourself more credit. UA thinks you have the makings of a hero, you just need to stop telling yourself otherwise." Izuku took a small breath then followed that up with muttering, "probably wouldn't hurt to stop creeping around the girls either…" He then held a hand out to the shorter grape-haired man.

A few sniffles later and Mineta took his hand, pulling himself to his feet. "Thanks Midoriya. I don't know if what you said was just bullshit, but it was nice to hear. I still don't think we'll be able to beat the two of them, but we can at least give it a shot, right?" They shared a nod. Mineta moved to continue walking towards the stairs, but Izuku held an arm out to stop him. He moved his other hand up to his chin and narrowed his eyes in thought.

"Knowing Katsumi, she'll think she can do everything herself and end up going off on her own leaving Tenya with the bomb…" He trailed off as he gathered his thoughts. "She'll probably focus on me, letting you go and try getting the bomb for Tenya."

"If that does happen, I wouldn't be fast enough to get to the bomb without doing something about him though." Mineta fired back. "Though… if I could stick him with one of my hair-balls…" Izuku's face lit up as Mineta continued to think aloud.

"That's it! I think I have a plan."

* * *

**Eighth Floor **

"Deku! Get your sorry ass out here before I turn this entire building to rubble!" Katsumi scream echoing around the empty room while her eyes scanned the shadows.

"_The longer you make me wait, the more this is gonna hurt. And with my Boy Scout teammate staying out of the way, no one will stop me from beating you within a centimeter of your life." _Katsumi smiled wickedly to herself as proceeded back to the stairwell. She stopped just short of the stairs as a familiar set of green rabbit ears bobbed up from below.

"Kept you waiting, huh?" Izuku said as he walked out onto the landing. Behind him Mineta took a few unsure steps, watching Katsumi the entire time, before dashing up the next flight of stairs. Katsumi cracked her knuckles as the green-haired man sized her up.

"It's time I take you to school, nerd! Don't worry, I'll make sure there's scraps of you they can scrape off the wall when we're done!" With that, she blasted forward with one hand, the other outstretched in a punch towards Izuku.

As the woman rocketed towards him, Izuku moved his left leg back, twisted his upper body parallel to her arm, and wrapped both of his arms around her gauntlet. With a momentary surge of strength, he used her momentum to flip her forward and slam her back into the ground with a solid ***THUD***. He started to pull the capture tape out of his pocket, but Katsumi kicked back onto her feet with a groan.

"That was just luck you wannabe! My next attack will lay you out flat!" She lunged forward on the attack again, bringing an open palm towards Izuku's head. With no time to move his hands and drop the capture tape, Izuku grabbed it in both hands and pushed up on Katsumi's arm as she let loose an explosion. The resulting impact barely discharged above Izuku's face, combusting and instantly destroying the top part of his cowl, revealing the slightly charred tips of Izuku's curly hair.

"I'm not the same useless loser I was when we were kids Kacch- no, Katsumi! I've learned from studying all the heroes I wanted to grow up to be like," Izuku dropped the capture tape from his right hand, then lowered his body and sprang forward punching Katsumi in the gut, "and for the longest time that included you!" She reeled back, doubled over and breathing shallowly.

Izuku took the moment to back off and give himself some breathing room before egging her on, "I don't know if I was just blinded by the idea of the fake friendship I thought we had, or just caught up in how cool I thought you were…" He pulled the cowl back down to expose his face, "But I'm tired of being your punching bag." Katsumi looked up at Izuku's exposed face and let loose a blood curdling scream.

"SHUT UP!" She looked down at her gauntlets eyes wild and crazed, "You think I wanted to beat you up everyday, burn your notes, tell you your dreams were worthless?" She looked up from her hands to point a shaking finger at Izuku, "I did this all for you. I made myself a monster so that you would give up on that impossible dream for a quirkless idiot like you. I just wanted you to stop so you wouldn't get hurt or killed." She tightened her hands into fists at her side as anger started to bubble up, "But now I know the truth, you've just been hiding your quirk. You never used it to fight back because you were looking down on me. You're just treating this like a sick joke where you can one up me in front of everyone!"

Katsumi launched forward again, bringing her hands together and slamming them into Izuku's ribs as she flew into him. The two tangled together as they skidded a few feet across the floor. A moment later, Katsumi pulled herself back to her feet looking down at Izuku who was laughing as he coughed in pain.

"You think I've just been tricking you this entire time? That I've _let_ myself get beaten over and over?" He wheezed and rubbed the left side of his rib cage as he also stood back up. "You've made over a decade of my life into a living hell that I never want to think of again. Plenty of days I went back home, crying with bloody noses or black eyes _at minimum_. There were plenty of times I almost took your 'advice' and tried to kill myself." He shoved Katsumi roughly away from him as she stared at him shocked and wide-eyed.

"I didn't ever fight back because I had no quirk to fight back with. I was just a scrawny kid." He took a step towards her, raising his fist slightly, "Where's all that self-righteousness you had before?" He paused again before screaming out at Katsumi, "What, too afraid to finish what you started now?!" She took a few shallow breaths before scowling and raising her own fists.

"Just because I did all that, doesn't mean I don't feel shitty about it. And you even said it yourself! You had no quirk back then, you had no right or ability to be a hero." She took a few tentative steps forward, watching to see how Izuku would react. He started doing the same, the gap slowly closing.

"Fuck you, who are you to get to decide that? If I wanted to try my damnedest to be a hero, and get shut down by one of the academies or the hero association, then that would've been the end of it. You have no right to make that decision for me!" He grit his teeth and let One for All flow through him, powering up his fist as he launched towards her with an uppercut. Meanwhile, Katsumi stood her ground and prepped to blast away Izuku by opening both her palms flat towards him.

A small ignition formed from her palms as Izuku's fist came smashing into one of her gauntlets. The contact was quiet at first, with neither seeming to move or yield.

And then everything snapped into action: Katsumi's explosion discharged, bruising and burning the free hand Izuku was trying to block it with. Meanwhile, his other hand had shattered her gauntlet and forced the arm to point skyward. A rush of wind from his punch fed into her explosion and the blast consumed the ceiling above them.

The room was nearly silent, except for the soft panting and pained groans of the two as they felt the result of each other's attacks. Then there was a loud ***RUMBLE*** followed by the shifting of the ground.

A moment later the ceiling came crashing down towards them.

* * *

**Ninth Floor**

"Just stick to the plan… and improvise if you have to…" Mineta kept muttering to himself. He had to stop himself from running back down the stairs when he and Izuku came face to face with Katsumi; but, it seemed Izuku's guess was correct that she would focus solely on him and completely ignore Mineta's existence.

He had now rounded the corner of the next flight of stairs and was trying to peek up to check out the next floor. To his surprise, he found the device they had to secure sitting in the center of the room. It continued to quietly count down, the timer reading out around four minutes and change now. Mineta quietly tip-toed up the next few stairs, sneaking in occasional peeks trying to find Tenya. A few more steps placed him at the doorway to the room. He stuck his head out into the area and glanced around again.

"This seems too easy, did he go downstairs when we were on one of the lower floors?" Mineta took several cautious steps towards the device, only for a voice to ring out from behind one of the columns.

"I see you've finally made it this far hero! It's time for you to meet your end!" In a flash, Tenya launched full sprint from behind a pillar far to Mineta's left. His hands were outstretched, holding the capture tape as he leapt towards Mineta. He fell onto his back as he tried to avoid Tenya diving towards him. Tenya soared slightly over him and skidded to a stop right before hitting a pillar.

"_This isn't going to be easy. Tenya can easily out-speed me, so I can't capture him easily… But I could try sticking him in place if he gets too close."_ Mineta thought as he backed away from Tenya towards the nuclear device. _" I have to be careful about where I use the balls. I still can't drop too many without running having my head bleed."_

Mineta continued to back up and reached up towards his head, popping one of the balls off his scalp. He held it in his hand as he saw Tenya approach, then against his better judgement taunted him, "I thought there was a villain here, but it seems like I can just get to the bomb no problem."

"I'll see you captured yet!" Tenya cried out as he dashed towards Mineta again. This time, rather than moving, the purple-haired man began reaching up and pulling off more sticky orbs from his hair and began throwing them in Tenya's path as the man came closer. The 'villain' swerved slightly, losing some speed, allowing Mineta to side step his dash.

"Curses! It looks like I'll have to shift into top gear for this!" The engines in the armored man's legs seemed to hum slightly before a cloud of smoke bellowed out behind him. He sprinted towards Mineta again, this time opting to jump into the air and dive feet first towards the smaller man. In response, the grape-headed man threw himself back towards the stairway, narrowly avoiding Tenya's attack as he cracked part of the concrete floor.

Mineta pulled himself up to his feet, looking first at Tenya, then along the floor where his purple balls zigzagged towards his goal. _"It's a good thing you remembered I can ricochet off my own sticky balls… Welp, here goes nothing Izuku. Just hold out for a bit longer, and hope Tenya doesn't get me first."_ With a gulp, the purple haired man cried out and dove headfirst towards the closest of his sticky balls. With an echoing ***SPROING*** his body was launched away from the first ball, gaining speed until he struck another. Within a matter of seconds, his body was hurtling centimeters above the ground around the room like a human-sized pinball.

Tenya's neck snapped back and forth, his eyes tracing the smaller man as he tried to figure out what he was doing. With a gasp of surprise the 'villain' pulled out his capture tape and chased after the other man. He threw a hand forward as he was reaching for one of Mineta's ankles, fingertips just barely grazing the other man's boots.

With a colossal ***THUD*** Mineta slammed into the device, trying to wrap his arms around it. Meanwhile Tenya slammed into him, arms fumbling to wrap the capture tape around his legs.

"That's the match!" Cried All Might's voice in their earpieces. "Heroes w-" His voice cut off suddenly, and the building shook. As Tenya leaned over to help Mineta to his feet, the building rumbled again. Several meters away, the concrete started cracking. The floor in that area suddenly glowed red hot, then exploded outwards. A large fireball and debris continued to blast up towards the ceiling, with the contact creating a deafening ***BOOM***. The two adversaries shared a bewildered looking before creeping towards the explosive site. They stopped again as a groan echoed from nearby beams and the ceiling of the building. In that moment, the foundations of the ninth floor near the blast site gave way, and the ceiling came crashing down.

* * *

**Eighth Floor**

Izuku looked down at his tattered hero costume and gave a silent mental _"sorry mom"_. As he wiped away some blood he coughed up, the green-haired man winced and looked down at his right arm. _"Oh… shit. That's definitely broken."_ His forearm hung limply to his side, the skin a patchwork of black and blue bruises, along with cherry red burns. He wasn't able to uncurl the fist he had struck Katsumi with, let alone even move the arm without immediate shooting pain. As the dust cleared, he saw Katsumi also slowly pulling herself up. She seemed to fare slightly better, with most of the damage being soaked up by her left gauntlet which was now nowhere to be seen. The section of arm it had covered was also an ugly splotching of purples and blues.

"I don't think I'll ever agree with your outlook on what it takes to be a hero." Izuku said as he stood slightly shaking on his feet. "I can look past you being a shitty person to me for most of my life. Fuck, I'm willing to put that all behind me and start fresh if you're willing to put our past behind us." He took a step towards her, his good arm held out as a sign of peace.

She took a look at the hand being offered to her, then smacked it aside. "You should know by now there's no room for fakers or half-assers in this world. They're just gonna hinder the real pros from doing their work." She began walking past him towards the stairs to exit the building, then stopped abruptly in the doorway, "You win today. Don't think you'll come out on top next time though."

Izuku breathed a sigh of relief as he watched her exit the floor, he took a few teetering steps, before leaning up against a pillar. "Huh, guess I'm a bit more banged up than I thought I was." He took a deep breath and continued swaying back and forth towards the stairwell. As he approached the door, the space between him and it seemed to stretch and shrink. Mineta and Tenya appeared in the space, shouting something to him with concerned looks on their faces.

Izuku turned his head slightly, blinked a few times, then crumpled to the floor.

* * *

"**?"**

Izuku's eyes fluttered open. He once again saw the burning cityscape crumble into ruins around him. Once again, he collapsed at the bottom of the mound of debris looking up at the giant figure of a man. The smoke that obscured his figure was mostly gone now: Izuku could now see the man dressed sharply in a tight fitting suit, portions of the jacket tattered and exposing the pristine white dress shirt beneath. His face was still clouded from his view, but the man spoke up repeating what he said last time in his dream.

"You truly are tenacious… I'll give you that." He reached over and grabbed another figure Izuku just noticed at the man's feet. He was pulling a woman up by her jet black shoulder length hair. Her back, covered by a billowing white cape, was currently turned to Izuku. As the cape twisted in the air, he caught a glimpse of a jet black sleeveless bodysuit on her, while she wore bright yellow gloves and boots. The well-dressed man once again slammed her back on his knee, producing the sickening ***CRACK*** again before she tumbled down the pile. Instead of looking at the monster above him, Izuku looked at the broken woman lying less than a meter away from him.

She gasped and cried out in pain for a few moments as she slowly pulled herself up onto her elbows. She lifted her face, the only mark on its surface a single mole on the bottom right of her lip, and her steel grey eyes looked intently towards- or maybe through? - Izuku. She coughed up some blood and struggled to stay on her elbows.

"It's okay. - and - look at me. It's going to be okay." She coughed up some more blood as her arms began to shake. With the last bits of her energy, she used her index fingers to push up the corners of her mouth into a wide smile. "Don't forget you two. A hero needs to smile no matter what!" Her breathing became labored as the hands started to slip.

"It'll be okay. One for All is in your hands now."

* * *

**UA Infirmary**

Screaming was the first sound that meet Izuku's ears as he came to. It took a moment for him to realize that the sound was actually coming from himself, and other to quiet down. He took several shallow breaths, grasping at his chest while he calmed down. He blinked several times as he processed his surroundings. A blindingly white sterile room greeted him: he was buried under a layer of sheets and blankets in what appeared to be a basic hospital bed. Beyond the bed was a white curtain that blocked off the rest of the room from the bed. He blinked a few times more as he checked his left hand which was being held by something. Attached to his arm, was another which he followed up to a torso. Long, curly green hair hung down on the figure's shoulders.

"Izzy…" the figure weakly croaked out as they nuzzled their face into the crook of his neck. He twisted his head and tried to pat the person's head with his right arm. Shooting pain passed through the limb, causing his head to instinctively swivel towards the pain. His eyes started to widen and he sat up in bed as he saw his arm completely wrapped within a sling. He turned once again to the other figure as his mind sharpened.

"Set-setsuna? Where… are we?" Izuku groggily asked as he began to notice Setsuna's tired and bedraggled state. He turned his gaze to a nearby window, noticing that the sun had moved from its high noon position onto the distant horizon. Panic started to set in as he looked back from the window and noticed an IV attached to his good arm.

"How long have I been out?" He started hyperventilating as his head whipped around the room and he started to shift in the bed. Setsuna got up from the chair next to his bed and gingerly sat on the edge of the bed next to him. She picked up his hand with both of hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Take it easy Izzy, I'll grab the nurse in a few minutes…" She sat silently next to him for a moment. "It's been probably six or seven hours you've been here. Two of your classmates helped bring you to All Might after you collapsed during your guys' mock battle." She squeezed his hand tighter and he looked up to see some tears welling in her eyes.

"Yaoyorozu came and found me after classes were over and let me know what happened… When I got here, they said you had lost a lot of blood and were pretty badly burned." She paused and took a few shallow breaths, "I didn't believe it was true til I saw your hero costume." Setsuna shifted slightly and pointed a shaking hand towards a crumpled mess on a nightstand next to Izuku's bed. As far as he could tell by looking at it: the cowl had been burned off, the right sleeve was a tattered and burned mess, the left fared slightly better but was still scorched in several places, and both gloves were completely missing.

"What _happened_ to you? I thought our classes were just supposed to have intros to the Hero Course?" She stood up from the bed and collapsed back into the chair waiting for his reply. Izuku wracked his brain for a moment, frowning as it took him a moment to piece together what occurred.

"Well. I remember All Might paired us together to do heroes vs. villains exercises… We were the first to go…" He paused and furrowed his brow further as he continued to think. His expression eased up and he smiled slightly as more came to him, "I stood up to Katsumi for the first time in my life. So I think hurting my arm was worth that."

Setsuna sighed and slid down in her chair, "Well that's good to hear… I'm just glad you don't have brain damage, or forgot who I was… or…" Izuku leaned over and interrupted her thoughts by placing his good hand on her cheek, then brushing it lightly with his thumb.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on going anywhere." He let the contact fade as he readjusted back into the pillows on the bed. "So now that you know how my exciting day was, what fun did you get up to?" He said as a wry smile came onto his face. Setsuna held a finger up tapping her lips as she thought.

"I'd guess most of it was the same as yours. We had the boring required courses: you guys had Cementoss, Midnight, and Present Mic come by too?" A small nod from Izuku and she continued, "They just started us with Cementoss instead and seems like just rotated the teachers then." She tapped her lips again, combing her mind for other stand out things.

Her face lit up and she turned to face Izuku again, "Oh! I didn't get to tell you yesterday. Vlad King is my Homeroom teacher. And 1B's Hero Foundation's teacher was Snipe. Vlad seemed more welcoming than I thought he would've, but Snipe was a man of few words…" Setsuna stopped and giggled as she noticed Izuku was hanging off her every word. "Don't worry, I'll tell you again later when you have your notebook to write everything down."

She paused as a devilish grin came across her face, "I thought I'd seen a lot of weird things with the quirks that everyone has, but I think either the man made from cement or the hero in the BDSM outfit is officially the strangest."

Izuku let out a sharp laugh, followed by a fit of coughing causing Setsuna to lean in with concern. He held a hand up to stop her, and a moment later it subsided.

"My my, I was gonna give you younguns a while by yourselves, but it seems I should take this as an opportunity to come in." A small yellow gloved hand grabbed the edge of the curtain pulling it back as the older voice talked. A short elderly woman in doctor's garb and pink visor appeared from the other side of the room. As she approached the bed, she gave a small slap to Izuku's leg and shook her head.

"I thought I told you after the entrance exam to be careful how you use your powers? And here you are again recklessly throwing away your limbs. My recovery powers have a limit you know? I've had to keep you here all day since your teacher brought you. Even after all that, you'll just have to recover the last little bit on your own these next few days, got it?" She gave a sigh, then looked towards Setsuna.

"Excuse me, my dear. Would you mind giving us a minute? I'll likely be sending him on his way momentarily here." With a nod to Recovery Girl, Setsuna stood up and turned to exit the room. She paused and quickly spun around going back over to Izuuk's side: she leaned over and gave him a quick hug and kiss on the forehead before heading back out of the room. The older woman waited a few moments then sat in the chair Setsuna had occupied. After checking over her shoulder, she then shouted out, "You can come in now!" All Might's massive form slowly walked in, taking a moment to push the curtain back around the bed before he deflated to his true self.

"I can't believe the two of you!" Recovery Girl shouted. She turned and pointed at Izuku, "I already told you, but I'll say it again for both of you to hear: you need to watch out for yourself and stop recklessly using your powers!" She then spun in the chair, with a small finger pointed at the scrawny figure of All Might, "And you! You're just as much of a problem! You passed your quirk onto this boy, so you need to know when to step in and help him understand how to use it." She sighed and shook her head while All Might tried to shush her.

"I understand what you're saying, and you're right… but please, do be quiet when talking about One for All! Many of the pro hero staff at UA know about my injury and true form, but a select few across the world know that my quirk is not my own." He held his hands up as he whispered. Recovery Girl gave another exasperated sigh, then questioned the hero.

"Does it really matter if you're a natural born hero, or someone who's gift was passed on to them?" All Might puffed up slightly, bristling at the idea.

"Society needs a symbol to look up to. To show them the good that can be achieved with our abilities. It helps keep villains indecisive about making a move, and protects our world from falling into their clutches." He looked off into the distance, his eyes slightly glassed over as if remembering something. He shook his head, then looked at Izuku and continued, "And one day that duty will fall to you or one of your friends to take my place."

Recovery Girl stood back up and held her arms open towards All Might, "That's exactly why you need to do a better job mentoring him and making sure he doesn't over do it! He can't fill your shoes if he keeps falling apart whenever he uses this power!" All Might silently nodded to her uttering a "yes ma'am" before he turned to leave. With him gone, she turned back to Izuku.

"Now, let's check your vitals then patch you up again. I'm tired of seeing you in here, and it'll be best for you to head back and get some rest in your own bed."

* * *

**Location Unknown**

"It would seem the great 'Symbol of Peace' has taken up a job as a teacher now." A man with a voice muffled by some sort of mask spoke to those around him as he put the newspaper he had been reading on the bar counter. A cacophony of boos rose from the dimly lit bar's patrons. As the sound died down, a television on the far end flickered to life with an image of a shadowed face that had various tubes attached to it intermittently appearing on screen. The figure then spoke, their deep, raspy voice booming out instantly grabbing the bar's patrons attention.

"It seems our opportunity has finally come. What would happen if a villain managed to snuff out the people's hero in one of the most secure locations on Earth?" The tubing shifted slightly as man's face shifted into what appeared to be a smile. Cheers rose up around the room as the TV flickered back off.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

If you'd like to come discuss the work, things pertaining to other works I've done, or become a beta for this work - join my discord at /xFuDyVM

As always, I do not own 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia, this is a fan-work:  
It is the work of Kōhei Horikoshi, serialized by Weekly Shōnen Jump, and animated by Bones.  
The English release is provided by Viz Media and Funimation.

Please Support the Official Releases.


	11. Chapter 11

_Italics_ denotes an individual's thoughts

**Bold **denotes large time shifts/ or introductions of new settings; also may be used for emphasis

Line dividers denote a smaller scene or time shift

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

Just a heads up to folks, there will be smut in this chapter. It will be clearly marked when it begins. It will end at the next section header following it.  
If that isn't your cup of tea, just skip to that next section!

AND, as usual:

If you'd like to come discuss the work, things pertaining to other works I've done, or become a beta for this work - join my discord at /xFuDyVM

As always, I do not own 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia, this is a fan-work:  
It is the work of Kōhei Horikoshi, serialized by Weekly Shōnen Jump, and animated by Bones.  
The English release is provided by Viz Media and Funimation.

Please Support the Official Releases.

* * *

**Ch. 11 Connections**

* * *

**UA Grounds Entrance**

"What's the number one hero doing here?"

"What's it like to be working alongside a legend like him in a place like a school?"

"What sort of classes is All Might teaching?"

"We just want one quote from the hero himself!"

An uproar was occurring outside the gates of UA as the media had swarmed to the school ground's entrance. Overnight, someone had leaked the fact All Might had been seen the previous day walking around the school. The media didn't care much for the rumors, until pictures of him in a tan business suit chatting with another staff member in one of UA's courtyards surfaced. As dawn came, the national news groups were whipped into a frenzy, causing a contingent of media vans and reporters to set up on the edge of the property. A very bored and tired looking black haired man stepped out, shushing the crowd by waving his hands down as he approached.

"You're being too annoying. All Might is off duty, so please leave our faculty and students alone. UA thanks you for your understanding… or something." He scratched his scruffy face then walked back through the campus' main entrance.

"Well, at least tell All Might to come out here and tal-" The dark haired man paused and turned back towards the group.

"What Mr. Number One does is up to him. If he wants to give you a quote, he'll come to you himself. Otherwise, kindly shove off our property." Aizawa turned from the group of reporters and cameras, and continued to slowly plod back towards the campus' main building.

The reporter gave an exasperated sigh and took a step after him. But, as soon as the reporter approached the threshold, large metal doors slammed across the entrance. A heavy, metallic series of ***CLICKS*** echoed around the area as the gate sealed closed.

"**UA BARRIER REQUIRES VALID ID FOR DEACTIVATION. PLEASE PRESENT ID OR LOCAL AUTHORITIES WILL BE CONTACTED TO DEAL WITH TRESPASSERS."** The pre-recorded message rang out from speakers mounted on each side of the gate. Much of the group started to grumble as they retreated to their vans and placed equipment back as they continued to camp out waiting to catch a glimpse of the hero.

Meanwhile, a scrawny man with pale bluish-grey hair continued to watched the scene unfold from the periphery of the crowd.

* * *

**Class 1A**

Chatter died down and students quickly filled their seats as Aizawa trekked over to his desk at the front of the class. All eyes were on him as he pulled out a stack of papers and leafed through them skimming the contents for a moment. He softly sighed and let the stack fall from his hand to the desk.

"I've taken the liberty of reading the evaluations from your first hero training session." He fell silent looking over the class, then turned to look at Katsumi. "Bakugou," he paused then turned to Izuku as well, "and Midoriya. Once again you two are causing problems. You two aren't children anymore, right?"

He turned back to Katsumi, "You, you're wasting your talent by acting like a jealous grade schooler." She muttered out a harsh "I know" as her gaze dropped to the surface of her desk.

He then turned back to Izuku, "And you, Midoriya. You can't keep saying 'Oh I can't adjust to my quirk, so that's how it is'. You'll just end up being left behind. Put in some more effort." Izuku's face flushed red as he became slightly more conscious of the bandages wrapped around his right arm. He responded with a short, "Sorry, I'll try harder!"

Satisfied with the two's replies, or that he at least shared his thoughts, Aizawa faced the class head on again and addressed them all, "Putting that aside… the rest of you seemed to do well. Come up to me after the lesson and I'll give you your evaluations if you'd like to read more of All Might's thoughts." He pushed aside the stack of papers, then lifted a new sheet which his eyes quickly scanned.

"Moving on to our homeroom notices… I'm sorry, but there's one more thing we have to discuss out of the blue..." Many of the students flinched or grimaced as they thought of the last of Aizawa's surprises: the quirk apprehension test they took on their first day. He cleared his throat, regaining his students' attention.

"As I was saying... I'm sorry to bring this up on such short notice, but you need to pick a Class President. Our past few days of classes have been too busy for the opportunity, but we need to submit your choice by the end of the day." The class exploded into an uproar at this, students attempting to shout over each other at why they deserved to be the leader.

"Naturally, someone as fabulous as myself was born to lead."

"A leadership position? I want to have power over the class!"

"Telling others what to do, while I kick back? Count me in!"

One voice cut through the rest with a shout of **"QUIET!"**

"This is a sacred office… no, rather a duty that must be carried out by someone who will not just carry their own weight, but that of everyone else as well! Just because you want to do it doesn't mean you should be the one to take on that responsibility. In order to ensure our class is properly guided and taken care of, the logical decision would be to hold an election to determine who is the most trusted among us!" Tenya spoke up energetically as he waved his hand in the air. He turned and faced an annoyed Aizawa who had begun climbing into his sleeping bag and slumping into an empty chair in the front of the class.

"That would be the best course of action, right sir?"

"I don't care how you do it," he said as a ***YAWNNNN*** escaped his mouth, "just wake me up when you're done." With that, his eyes slowly closed and seconds later he was heavily snoring.

"Very well!" Tenya declared as he tore a sheet of notebook paper out and began reducing it to smaller shreds, "Write the name of who you'd like to vote for onto one of these paper slips, and I shall tally them afterwards." A few minutes of pencils and pens scratching at the slips of paper followed, with another awkward minute as Tenya tallied the votes on the board.

A list of names ran along the chalkboard, with tallies next to each signifying the votes. Several names had either a single tally or none next to them, while two stood out with far more. Momo Yaoyorozu had received six votes, while Izuku Midoriya had seven. A chorus of "oooo"s and "Congrats!" rang out from the class as the two were ushered up front. Meanwhile, Tenya collapsed into his seat, muttering that he "couldn't believe I didn't receive a single vote".

Izuku looked shell-shocked for a moment, as he grasped the situation, then waved and gave a wide smile to his classmates. On the other hand, Momo seemed more disappointed than surprised by the outcome, taking a moment to compose herself before giving her own bright smile. She turned and offered a hand to Izuku, with the two soon shaking and offering each other their congratulations.

"Wow… Thanks for your support everyone! I didn't expect this at all… I hope that Momo and I can lead you all well in the time we share together!" With that, Izuku gave a small bow and the class erupted into a small chorus of cheers.

* * *

**UA Mess Hall **

Izuku nervously shifted in his chair as he looked up from his meal at the other students seated at his table. He had never experienced popularity growing up. The only attention he had received was usually when being beaten up or bullied by his classmates, so this was a novel experience for him. The question had been chewing away at him for the past few hours of their morning classes, and well into their current lunch period. After deliberating for another moment, he placed his utensils onto the tray as he questioned the classmates sitting around him.

"Why? Why did I get elected? Don't get me wrong, I'm honored; but, I would've figured me hurting and burning myself out the other day would make a lot of you think I don't even belong in the class?" Izuku blurted out as his head swiveled to look at the people around him.

"Are you kidding man? You've been pretty friendly with us since the first day. Besides, your fight with Bakugou the other day was super manly," Kirishima said, shooting Izuku a sharp smile and thumbs up.

"It's as he says: you've shown that you've got the guts and reasoning abilities necessary to move yourself and those around you. Similarly, Yaoyorozu's breakdowns she provided of the other students' trial battles showed her sharp mind and quick wit. It was difficult to choose who to vote on between you two," spoke up Tenya.

"You also seem like the sort of person who's always willing to jump into action or do whatever you need to to help others. That cool part of you got my vote, Deku!" came Ochaco's bubbly voice next.

Izuku sat in stunned silence as he listened to his friends and classmates speak up from around the table. A smile slowly crept across his face as they continued to speak up, "Thanks guys. This is all just so foreign to me. I can't remember the last time someone called me cool or manly…" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. His expression became more serious as he thought back to one of the comments.

"So you were offering evaluations for the battle trials, Momo?" He questioned of the raven-haired woman. She nodded her head politely then placed down her own utensils. He continued as he began pulling out his latest hero notebook, "Sort of strange follow up question: you wouldn't happen to recall any important details from each of those would you? I'd love to take some notes on it."

"I can certainly do my best to recall all that I can for you. Though I'm curious as to why you'd like to know?" She hesitantly replied. Izuku looked back up from the pages of the notebook as he thumbed through to a blank spot.

"A mixture of stuff I guess? Curiosity of how I stack up compared to other people? My personal interest in quirks and their strengths and weaknesses? Knowing how I or others failed and succeeded can help me in the future with similar situations." Izuku replied as he rolled a pen back in forth in between his fingers.

"I see. 'Knowing is half the battle' as they say," Momo said as she nodded in agreement at his logic, "I can see the merit that would provide. Eventually we'll have to show ourselves off to hero agencies while we search for offers, so knowing how to be our best selves is another important part of our time here."

"Now, I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on my battle, but I'd rather hear about the rest of the cl-" Izuku's voice was drowned out as an alarm began blaring across the building. A robotic voice rang out across UA's PA system clearly repeating the same lines:

"**SECURITY LEVEL 3 BREACH DETECTED. STUDENTS ARE TO PROMPTLY EVACUATE."**

Within moments, the Mess Hall was plunged into chaos as students got up from their seats and began rushing across the room towards exit doors.

"Level 3 Breach? What's that?" Tenya questioned of a passing upperclassman. They continued to push aside their fellow students but yelled back over their shoulder to him.

"It means someone or something has infiltrated the school grounds. This hasn't happened in over three years! You all should come along quickly!" With that said, they continued to push their way through the surging mass of bodies that was stampeding towards the doors.

Izuku and his fellow 1A classmates stood, swiftly grabbing their belongings before following the rest of the crowd. As they moved across the mess hall, more students began to fill in the space behind them. With the blaring alarms, repeated emergency messages, and the shouts of the panicked students the room had risen into quiet the uproar. Their group began to gradually be forced apart as the other students behind them began to panic and try to shove and claw their way past each other.

"Deku!" Came a shout from Izuku's side as Ochaco was being roughly shoved aside by several students.

"Midoriya!" Came another cry from behind him as Izuku saw Tenya get knocked off his feet by the crowd behind him.

"_Damnit, I'm supposed to be looking out for our class now! What the hell is going on that has everyone panicked?"_ Izuku thought to himself as he was roughly shoved again. "I'll be back in a minute guys. Try to stay together!" He shouted to his classmates as he plunged into the surging mass of people. Several steps and bruises later put Izuku at the Mess Hall's floor-to-ceiling windows. Outside Izuku saw a crowd of sharply dressed adults moving across the campus in a pack with a multitude of boom mics and cameras bobbing around.

"_Are you kidding? It's just the news? Why hasn't anyone said anything? We shouldn't be freaked out over this."_ Izuku thought as another arm shoved him flush with the glass. He winced slightly in pain as he struggled to push back. _"I need to try telling people to calm down. At this rate, someone will get trampled... if it hasn't happened already."_ He grit his teeth at the sobering thought. His body slammed into the glass again, giving him an idea.

Izuku took a deep breath, then put his left hand on the glass. A moment later and he raised his right leg putting his foot on the surface. He sucked in a bit of air with a thought of _"Please let this work"._ With a flash of green across his body, his stomach churned as his body lurched towards the glass of the windows. He straightened himself out, waiting to regain his balance, then he stood up on the glass and began to run above the student's heads towards the exit. Once he was standing perpendicularly on the wall above the door frame, he looked at the hysterical students beneath him. He took a deep breath and focused for what would come next.

"**STOP!"** He commanded the room with a booming voice. A soft green light seemed to wash over everyone as the entire room came to a complete halt. Limbs were frozen in place, eyes stuck staring off at what the last point they focused on, chests frozen mid rise or fall as the students breathed. Izuku's mind went into overdrive as he noticed seemingly a lack of life from the group. Suddenly, his body felt alive. It was as if all his nerves had been shocked and he was brimming with energy. _"I guess I need to be a bit more specific…"_

"**STOP TRAMPLING EACH OTHER AND LISTEN!"** Quickly came his shout a moment later. It was as if life was breathed back into the room again as the students lurched out of their poses and looked around, before looking at the injured green-haired man above the exit.

"Take a moment to look out the windows! If you can't, ask what the people near them see!" He waited a moment, hearing some murmurs arise off the crowd before continuing, "It's just the Press! Calm down! Get ahold of yourselves! Aren't we all supposed to be students of UA? Even if this had been a villain infiltration or attack, as future heroes or hero supporters we should be ready to take on that challenge!"

Some of the students began to shamefully look around, noticing their slightly bruised or crushed neighbors. Izuku walked back across the wall then windows before gingerly lowering himself back to the ground, once again bracing his free arm and a leg against the floor first. As gravity returned to it's normal pull for him, he immediately began to feel a rush of nausea. _"Oh, wow. Is this what Ochaco goes through with her quirk? That's rather unpleasant."_ He continued to push back the urge to throw up as he tried to work his way back to the rest of his classmates, while teachers began to arrive in the Mess Hall to coordinate a much calmer evacuation.

* * *

**UA Grounds Entrance**

"Was this the work of one of the reporters? What do you think of this, Nezu?" Questioned Recovery Girl as she and various other UA staff members stared at the remains of the UA entrance barrier.

The metal doors appeared to have aged and rusted away. Where they once stood, now piles of rust and metallic flakes had been spread across the ground. What appeared to be a cross of a white mouse and bear standing about a meter tall- wearing a dark blue set of dress pants, neatly pressed white collared shirt, and waistcoat- was bent over looking intently at the scene.

"I'm not sure. We'll have to consult the police and quirk registry to see if any of the reporters have an ability matching this." The small animal stood up and folded his arms behind his back as he faced the faculty gathered.

"I fear some evil has seeped into my school grounds. A move like this screams 'I can do whatever I want, your defenses mean nothing'." He paused and raised a paw in thought. "I want you all to be alert. Anything strange is to be investigated and reported. I fear that this is just the beginning."

* * *

**Class 1A**

After a while, the commotion on campus had died down as the police escorted the reporters off the campus. A patrol was stationed at the breached campus entrance with an off duty staff member, and classes began again for the remainder of the afternoon.

Within Class 1A, the students had settled back in for some announcements before being dismissed for the day.

"Due to how your last Foundational Heroics class went, we decided to push your next session back a few days in order to give you time to recover," Aizawa said to the class, as he made a point to finish staring at Izuku. "With that out of the way, I'd like to commend your class rep for his quick thinking. Do you have any words of wisdom to share with us all?"

Izuku nervously stood next to Aizawa, his hands lightly gripping the edge of the desk.

"No matter how tough it gets, you can count on me to be there to help you all. That's what being a hero is about right? Staying calm when things are difficult or chaotic is part of our job. I hope I can count on the rest of you to help me when I fall short." The class gave a brief round of applause that was cut off by Aizawa as he launched into their next lesson.

* * *

**Alliance Heights Dorms**

Izuku had changed out of the UA uniform into a more comfortable set of clothes, shedding the blazer and collared shirt for a simple blue t-shirt with a minimalist version of All Might's outline on it. Before leaving his room, he had grabbed a small UA sports bag for his wallet, a notepad, and anything he might pick up when out and about. Now, he was nervously pacing outside 1-B's dorm. The cause of his anxiety was a text from Setsuna at the end of classes:

"_Hey… we haven't really had a chance to hang out or go on a date since classes started up, right? I'll meet you outside a little bit after classes are done, k?"_

He looked down at his wrapped right arm, the ugly patchwork of bruises across his skin now nearly faded from the spots of skin he could see. _"Does she have something she wants to do? Or does she want me to come up with something?"_ Izuku's pacing picked up slightly as he got further lost in his thoughts.

"_If she wants me to pick where to go, it's not like I can't think of places… There's always bowling, or going to a movie, or getting dinner somewhere, or just going down to the beach…"_ He paused to reach his left hand over and gingerly press into the bandage of the right arm. Immediately he grit his teeth and released the pressure, _"Yep, ok. Gonna have to do something that won't require both arms I guess. Guess that nixes the idea of bowling or swimming…"_

He pivoted again with his mindless pacing, _"Though she does like Dinosaurs, maybe the museum would be good? Or if we want to walk around somewhere, maybe the aquarium?"_ He began walking past the front door again, not noticing the soft ***fwoo*** of it swinging outward, and was immediately pulled from his thoughts as the object almost hit him. He stopped the door by grasping it's edge with his left hand, at which point the person on the other side made themselves known.

"Ah~ There you are Izzy!" A set of wavy green hair poked out from behind the door, shortly followed by Setsuna's razor sharp grin. She stepped out from behind the door and sized Izuku up, "You're lucky I went casual! Who's to say I wouldn't be all dressed up waiting for you to take me out on the town," she said as she let a giggle out. She was wearing a set of black faded jeans along with a loose purple T-shirt, on it was a T-rex holding robotic toy arms with the caption 'I'M UNSTOPPABLE!'

"So," she gave Izuku a quick peck on the cheek, slightly flustering him, "What's the grand plan for today?" His mind rushed in turn trying to decide on just that. "I did the hard part of asking you out, now it's your job to decide what we'll do." She teased him.

"_Go to the museum, then dinner? I'll just play it by ear I guess?"_ He thought while he turned to her with a goofy grin on his face.

"Well, I know how much you like doing super exciting stuff. So we're gonna go to a construction site and watch paint dry to start," He teased her. She beamed at him as she shot back.

"Oh, my favorite! You know me so well," Setsuna said as she batted her eyes and held a hand over her heart, "will that be before or after we lay down in a field and watch the grass grow." Izuku stifled a laugh as he tried to get a reply to her.

"As much fun as that would be, I have something else in mind," he paused then leaned in and gave her a quick kiss back before grabbing her right hand with his left, "Don't want to ruin the surprise though." He gave a quick tug on her arm as he tilted his head towards UA's entrance, "Come on, I called a cab after I got changed."

* * *

**Downtown Musutafu**

Twenty minutes had passed since Izuku and Setsuna had left the UA campus, their cab now depositing them in the heart of Musutafu. As the car peeled back out into the bustling traffic, Setsuna took a moment to check their surroundings. In front of the two of them stood an impressive marble building and a small fountain. A wide overhang jutted off the building towards the street, supported by a few large columns. The top edge of the columns and roof was decorated with carvings of various people, animals, and inventions progressing left to right from ancient times to modernity. While the fountain in front of the building had several statues of figures back to back in the center: an ancient cave woman and man, a man and woman seemingly toiling in a field, the same pair again dressed in business wear, and then finally in hero costumes.

"You brought me out here to see a bunch of things people found in the dirt? How romantic," Setsuna pretended to mock swoon as she feigned disinterest. Izuku shrugged and turned to face back towards the street, agreeing to play her game.

"I just thought you'd want to see that new dinosaur they put together. It was one of those duck billed ones… Mukawaryu, I think they called it? It's on loan from the Tokyo museum for just a bit, but if you don't want to see it I can just flag down another cab and we can go somewhere else," he nonchalantly replied as he walked back towards the street and raised her arm to start waving down a car.

"W-wait!" Setsuna called out from behind him. He turned to see her slightly biting her lip, "I wasn't saying I didn't want to go in. Jeez you idiot, that's not playing fair." Izuku gave her a smile as he dropped his arm and walked back towards her.

"Hey, I'm just giving you a taste of your own medicine." He stepped back next to her and grabbed her hand again, lacing their fingers. "And now that I choose what to do and got us here, you can go ahead and lead the way," he said laughing and quickly sticking his tongue out at her. She puffed up her cheeks slightly and gave Izuku a short pout, then sighed and took a step into the building.

"Fine, but you'll be buying me something from the gift shop to make up for me being your tour guide." She said in turn with a wide, toothy grin.

It'd been around an hour or two since the couple had entered the museum. The pair had been zigzagging from section to section: it started off with them going to see the new exhibit Izuku had mentioned. The exhibit had said that it was around 72 million years old, with the skeleton based on over 80 percent of the original fossils. Setsuna had been bouncing back and forth excitedly, finally settling on taking a selfie with it and Izuku as he continued to read the plaque. They spent a good portion of time wandering between the skeletons of the ancient predators and prey, with the occasional stop to take photos.

About halfway through their exploration, the couple had come across a large atrium containing a T-Rex and several velociraptor skeletons. Setsuna used her quirk to detach her head and float it up to in between the behemoth lizard's teeth. Meanwhile, she was shouting at Izuku to quickly take her picture while she was laughing wildly. A guard heard the commotion and came running into the room: after a short dressing down, they let Setsuna and Izuku off with a warning to not mess with the exhibits before returning to their post.

At that point, the pair walked towards a room that was screening a short movie about famous dinosaur or reptile themed heroes. They found seats in the relatively dark and empty theater, each soaking in different aspects of the film. Izuku had taken out a notepad, making some occasional notes on lesser known heroes he wasn't familiar with, like 'The Chameleon' and 'Iguana Don'. Meanwhile, Setsuna had been taken in by the flashy finishing moves and regenerative abilities of a hero that looked like a mix between a human and lizard. After that, the two had stretched and walked back out of the museum, stopping briefly in the gift shop before leaving. The sky was now dusted a light orange as the two came out into the sunset.

"Well that was fun! Thanks for the night out!" Setsuna said as she cheerful swung her and Izuku's arms. Meanwhile, her other arm was wrapped around a comically large green T-Rex plush that stood almost a meter tall. Setsuna told Izuku the color reminded her of him and begged him to get it as her gift on the way out. Izuku gave her hand a light squeeze and smiled.

"No prob… babe." He replied, his face flushed scarlet at the last word. Setsuna stopped dead in her tracks and broke into a fit of laughter, causing the man's face to turn an even darker shade of red.

"Babe? Huh… if that's what you want to go with, sure." She let out another set of laughter. Suddenly, her face became very serious as she turned to look Izuku in the eye, "In that case... I'll have to call you, darling." After a moment of trying to keep a blank face, her facade cracked as she broke down in another giggle fit, with Izuku eventually also joining her.

"Ok, I can see how something like that can sound super corny or strange… It's just you have a nickname for me and I don't have one for you." Izuku said as he mulled it over. Setsuna put a finger to her lips and looked up in thought.

"Well, I guess it's fine until you figure out something better." She let the finger drop and a wicked smile crept onto her face, "I'm not gonna let you off easy though… _babe_." Setsuna went back to smiling and humming to herself as she pulled Izuku forward again towards the curb.

As they approached the street, the two noticed a news van and crew parked to the side. They seemed to have been just wrapping up a report on the museum. Something seemed familiar about the news anchor, but Izuku couldn't quite place it. He and Setsuna gave the team a wide berth as they walked towards the street and began attempting to hail a cab.

"Hey! You two!" Came the weary voice of a middle-aged man. He was walking over, while waving at his cameraman to come with him. "You go to UA, right?" He asked while pointing at Izuku's bag. Izuku mentally swore as he made a note of his mistake, before turning to the reporter with a faltering grin.

"Nope, sorry. I just really like the school and wanted to get some of their gear." He turned and began to wave down another cab, finally getting one to peel off from traffic and pull up to the curb. Behind him the reporter still persisted, holding his microphone out to the two of them as they began to get into the car.

"I'm not quite sure about that, I heard some other reporters mention someone who made a commotion in the cafeteria. From what I remember, you look like what they described." The news anchor continued to harass them, now clutching the handle of the cab so it wouldn't close as he and the cameraman continued to hold their equipment towards the couple.

"Just give me a quote about All Might teaching and this'll all be over son." He said, some desperation creeping into his voice. Izuku raised an eyebrow at the man while thinking, _"They didn't bother us enough on campus? … fine."_ Izuku then sighed and gave the man a nod. He looked straight at the camera as the man held the microphone out.

"Is your equipment alright, it looks like something might be a bit loose?" He said, a green light washing over the news crew's tech. The items they were holding began to fall apart, crumbling into large chunks, then tiny grains before slipping through their hands to the ground. The anchor was stunned by the sand that drifted through his now empty hand, giving Izuku enough time to slam the door while Setsuna shouted at the driver to go.

The car pulled back into traffic, with Setsuna leaning over to rest her head on Izuku's shoulder as her eyes fluttered closed. Izuku tilted his head slightly onto hers as he also settled in for the trip back.

* * *

**Alliance Heights Dorms**

"It was good to do this again. I've missed spending time with you..." spoke up Izuku as the two approached the dorms. His pace slowed as they approached 1B's building, til he came to a stop just short of the doors. Setsuna's hand slipped out of his grasp and she took another step towards the building.

"It doesn't have to end here you know… Who knows when we'll have more free time again..." she quietly spoke up, her back still facing him. Izuku's eyes went wide, trying to process what she just said.

"Yo-You don't mean…" He struggled to say before trailing off. Setsuna gave an exasperated huff and turned to Izuku, showing her face colored a deep crimson from embarrassment.

"God Izzy, please don't make me actually say it." She said, her gaze turning towards the ground between them. Izuku swallowed and took a step forward, grasping one of her hands in his own.

"I-I'd love to!" he managed to stutter out.

* * *

**SMUT BELOW! IF UNINTERESTED, SKIP TO NEXT SECTION **

* * *

"_You idiot, what are you gonna do now?"_ Izuku mentally berated himself as he sat on the floor of Setsuna's room. She had led him by the hand, bringing him up to the third floor and into her room. Setsuna took a moment to lay a sheet across the top of her bed, then turned and moved across the room. After that, she had quietly gathered something from her dresser, along with a towel, then said she was going to use the guest showers out in the main hall. He would be free to use her shower when she was gone, but she wanted him to be faced away from the door when he was done.

So there Izuku sat. Bare chested, with the only article of clothing on him being his dark green boxes that covered up his 'undercarriage'. He brushed his slightly damp curly green hair out of his eyes once again as he nervously shifted. _"God, you know next to nothing on what you'll be doing,"_ he stopped his thoughts and swallowed anxiously, _"and who knows if this is Setsuna's first time! Either way, you owe it to her and yourself to do your best."_

He fidgeted with his hands as he cast his gaze around the room, nervous at what was yet to come. Setsuna's room was a mixture of green and purple hues. In the center of the room, where he sat, was a fluffy round purple rug. Her bed was covered in a comforter that was criss-crossed with a mixture of purple and dark green diamonds. A similar pattern covered the curtains that hid her window. Her walls were covered in a mish-mash of action movie posters, ranging from Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones to Spawn. Next to her desk was the green stuffed T-Rex he had bought her from the museum, while on the desk was a familiar picture: Izuku stood up and went to get a closer look, seeing it was in fact a copy of the photo from their first data.

A knock on the door caused him to rapidly put the picture back down and dive into his spot on the floor looking towards the curtains. The door lock clicked open and Setsuna silently came back into the room. The only sounds cutting through the still air were the soft patter of her feet on the floor and the brief sound of her setting something down on her dresser. After that, the room returned to near-silence, undercut only by the couple breathing.

"Um… I think I'm ready now, Izzy. Could you go sit on the bed for me?" Setsuna whispered from behind him. With a stiff nod, the young man got up from the floor and shuffled over to the bed. He sat on the edge, now facing out towards the room. He fiddled apprehensively with his hands as he brought his gaze up across the room to Setsuna.

Upon seeing her, he sharply breathed in: Her face was flushed a light red, while her hair hung down in waves on her shoulders, still slightly damp from her shower. Her arms were crossed over her chest, holding tightly onto the towel that was still wrapped around her. A moment of indecision crossed her face, then she sucked in a deep breath and dropped the towel to the floor.

She now stood centimeters from Izuku, her bosom and 'ladybits' covered up by a matching set of black lacy underwear. A rose and thorn motif ran across the fabric in a much darker shade of black, while the main body of the fabric was sheer.

"Wow…" Izuku breathed out. He then looked up at Setsuna's cherry red face, his own dusted a similar shade, "I knew you were beautiful… but this was beyond anything I could've dreamed."

He stood up from his spot on the bed and raised his left arm stretching it towards Setsuna, desperate to look no longer and move onto a physical connection. He moved his bandaged right arm to his side and leaned in, wrapping Setsuna in an awkward one-armed embrace. After a moment's hesitation, she snaked her arms around his back returning the contact. The two slowly backed off, now staring deeply into one another's eyes.

Setsuna gave Izuku a light push, and he in turn sat back on the edge of the bed. She hesitated, and then came over to his right. She gingerly sat across his legs, while Izuku's left arm shot up to brace her back. The two stared at each other for another moment before Izuku's eyes were drawn to Setsuna's lips. He leaned in, tilting his head and fluttering his eyes closed… and when he was sure he was lined up to kiss her… ***BONK***

Izuku's eyes snapped back open and he wrinkled his nose as he pulled his head back, a slight throbbing behind his nose from where he and Setsuna's faces had bumped together. She let out a soft laugh as she reached up and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Let's try that again," Setsuna spoke, this time using her hands to grab the side of Izuku's head and guide his lips into a kiss. Their lips meet, and with a slight push from each other, they closed their eyes and relished the presence of each other. Izuku backed off, the release of pressure letting out a discreet ***chuu*** into the room as he breathed again. Setsuna stood up from her perch on Izuku, momentarily disappointing him, only to readjust and straddle over him now facing Izuku head on.

She ran a hand over his chest and biceps whispering, "I can't believe how hard your body is, I guess that hero training is paying off?" then she once again lightly pushed with both hands on his chest. Izuku took the hint and layed back down on the bed as Setsuna leaned over him.

Izuku's chest tightened up as he looked up at her, her wavy green hair now falling like a silk curtain around her face. He pulled her down into an embrace, overcome with emotion and whispered into her ear, "I love you, Suna." She leaned into his pull, taking another opportunity to seal her lips with his. As their lips met, her tongue pushed against his lips, seeking entrance. Izuku hesitated for a moment, then acquiesced letting her tongue run along his teeth for a moment before pushing back with his own.

The two broke apart again, saliva trailing between them as they gasped for air. Setsuna then sat down on Izuku's lower half, making him suddenly aware of how painfully tight his boxers seemed to be. Setsuna stared in shock at the contact between their lower halves, only separated by thin pieces of clothing now.

"I guess we both know what comes next…" She trailed off with a little laugh before shifting to the side of Izuku. "Hey… can you get up and uh… get ready, while I get ready on the bed?" Izuku sat back up, biting his lip and nodding in understanding. He stood and turned his back on Setsuna, taking a deep breath then disrobing of his final piece of clothing and allowing his member to fully stand at attention. Meanwhile, Setsuna had removed her undergarments, and placed them aside before laying on her back on the sheet.

She took a deep breath, then spoke up, "You can turn back around now." As Izuku faced her, the two blushed at each other's appearance, briefly looking aside before returning their gazes. Izuku walked to the foot of the bed, then knelt down on the blanket, crawling up until his chest hovered above her legs and his arms were firmly planted on either side of her, with most of his weight put onto his left side. He stared down at Setsuna with half lidded eyes, drinking in her form. Her pale skin squished together as she still held an arm across her chest and another across her mound. Izuku paused, and looked back at Setsuna's face which seemed slightly apprehensive.

He moved up slightly on his arms to better look her in the eye before asking, "You sure you want to go through with this Suna? I only want to do it if you want." She gave a few terse nods before speaking up.

"Yeah, just… mentally preparing myself. I don't want you to be disappointed with me…" She said as she averted his gaze. Izuku leaned over, and planted a quick kiss on her forehead.

"Hey, I'm just as new to all this as you… we just need to take our time, right?" He gave a small nod with a questioning look on his face. Setsuna took another breath, returned the nod, then slowly moved her hands away. Izuku moved down on the bed slightly, taking a moment to appreciate her full form: her exposed breasts were each about a handful, with the center having a small pert pink nipple standing out. His gaze dragged down, past her well-defined abs and hips to her sex. A neatly trimmed strip of green hair trailed down onto her pink slit.

Izuku reached out towards her with his left hand, taking a moment to look back up at Setsuna for her go ahead. She gave a small nod, and he let his hand caresses across her abdomen down to the edge of her thigh. _"Let's see if any of that stuff in those books or videos was right,"_ Izuku thought to himself as he ran a finger across her slit. He took his hand, turned the palm upwards, and delicately slid his index and middle finger into the space. He prodded around slowly, stroking the warm and slightly wet interior, intently watching Setsuna's reactions.

Upon seeing her arch her back slightly, Izuku took that as a sign he did something right, and began to focus more vigorously on the spot. Setsuna brought her right hand down and softly touched Izuku's hand. He withdrew his fingers and she stuck her own in prodding in a different spot with a small gasp of "try here".

The young man nervously put his fingers back into the opening, trying to emulate the spot and motions Setsuna had showed him. As he began to caress more vigorously again, Setsuna's back arched once again as a quiet, "Oh, god yes, right there," escaped her lips. As she said that, the space around Izuku's fingers began to compress and seemingly twitch, a slight amount of liquid wetting the tips of his fingers.

With that, Izuku could barely contain himself much longer. He crawled over Setsuna, until they were almost face to face and asked her, "Are you good to go?" Need radiated from his intense stare as they gazed at each other. Setsuna could feel him against her thigh as he waited for her reply. With a small smile and nod, she replied "yes", quickly earning a smile and a kiss from her boyfriend.

He moved back down on the bed, and waited for her to spread her legs slightly. With space now cleared, he shimmied up and began guiding his tip to her entrance. He looked up at her one final time and...

"Oh my god! I almost forgot," Izuku mumbled out quickly rocking back and straightening up. He jumped off the bed and went into the bathroom to his pants. He withdrew his wallet, flipping it open and pulled out a condom from one of the openings. He tore the pouch open, then fiddled with the item to make sure he knew which side was which before gingerly sliding it along his length.

With a sigh of relief he turned back towards Setsuna, a goofy smile on his face as he joked, "Better safe than sorry? … don't know how long I'll last anyways," muttering the second part to himself. He crawled back across the bed and once again repositioned himself. He steeled himself, then slowly began pushing into her folds. As he pushed, he soon hit a small barrier and immediately stopped.

Izuku looked back up at Setsuna with a questioning expression, "Are you sure abo-" before he could finish, Setsuna raised her legs up and wrapped them around Izuku, pulling his body into hers. She gave a loud cry, and tears began to stream from her eyes. Her legs squeezed into Izuku's back as she took several rapid breaths.

"Ye-yeah. I'm sure." She managed to speak out between a set of tears, her pained face trying its best to smile. Izuku reached up with a hand and wiped away some of the tears before leaning in for another tender kiss. Blood trickled out slowly from their connection onto the sheet below.

"Ok. Just tell me when you're good to go?" She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck, the two simply savoring the contact. After a moment, she leaned up to whisper a quiet 'go ahead', at which point Izuku began to slowly thrust. Setsuna's pained winces became less frequent, with each time they happened Izuku planting another gentle kiss on her cheeks or lips.

Several thrusts later and Izuku could feel Setsuna tighten up slightly around him. He could feel himself also reaching the edge as his own thrusts became slower in an attempt to hold out.

"Suna, I'm gonna…!" He cried out while his lower half spasmed, his muscles straining.

"Yeah, me too Izzy!" She yelled as her back arched and she wrapped her legs around him, while her body shook.

The two collapsed into a sweaty mess on the sheets, catching their breath as his left hand and her right briefly intertwined. They shared a smile as they panted, then Izuku slowly uncoiled himself and withdrew his shrunken member. He stretched, then hobbled off to the bathroom to dispose of the used condom. Meanwhile, Setsuna slowly swung her legs, wincing at the pain from her core, before standing up on her shaking legs. She turned around and pulled off the messy top sheet she had placed on the bed, balling it up and throwing it in the corner.

As Izuku returned from the bathroom, Setsuna had pulled back the covers on her bed and was climbing beneath the sheets. She slid across the bed, then patted the spot next to her. Izuku lumbered over, and crawled in next to her. She pulled the sheets up snugly against them, then wrapped her arms around him.

"I love you Izzy." She yawned out as her eyes began to flutter closed. He wrapped his good arm around Setsuna pulling her slightly closer to him.

"And I love you Suna," he murmured as he began to drift off.

* * *

**Unknown Bar, Unknown City**

"Our plan went off without a hitch. It seems those fools at UA think the media just went too far this morning and broke down the gate. If they ever figure out what actually happened, it'll be once our work is done." The man who was talking placed down the file he was flipping through, then turned to look around the room at various other figures.

"We now know when and where to strike. That oaf All Might won't even see it coming: his reign as the Symbol of Peace will soon end. The time for the League of Villains is at hand!"


	12. Chapter 12

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

Thanks for all the support for the story on our journey so far!  
I've been so excited to get to this moment since I first started outlining this.

We have a growing community on Discord at /xFuDyVM if you'd like to join!  
I'm still looking for more betas as well to ensure the highest quality before these chapters go to post! Just let me know if you're interested!

As always:  
I do not own the original work this is based upon. Please do what you can to support the Official Releases.

* * *

_Italics_ denotes an individual's thoughts

**Bold **denotes large time shifts/ or introductions of new settings; also may be used for emphasis

Line dividers denote a smaller scene or time shift

* * *

**Ch. 12 Trial By Fire**

* * *

**Alliance Heights Dorms**

***Knock Knock Knock***

"Setsuna? Some of us were going to get breakfast, would you like to join us?" A voice questioned from outside the room.

The woman being questioned fluttered her eyes open, looking around her room before slowly rolling out of bed. As she sat up, something shifted against her and attempted to wrap an arm back around the empty space she was in. Setsuna looked next to her to see the mop of green hair that was Izuku's head shift slightly as he pulled the covers up. She thought about clambering over the sleeping man, before reclining back slightly into the bed and embracing Izuku again.

***Knock Knock Knock***

With a sigh, Setsuna activated her quirk and detached her head and an arm which floated to the door. The floating limb then unlocked and cracked the door slightly so she could look out into the hall. On the other side, was a woman with light green hair that looked like thorny vines. She was covered from her neck down in a roomy and very plain dress. Upon seeing her, Setsuna relaxed slightly.

"Ah, Ibara. Morning!" She said to the new woman as she cracked the door enough to show the other woman most of her head. "I'll probably skip out on breakfast today," she paused and gave a yawn, "I'm still pretty tired."

The vine haired woman looked at her skeptically before replying, "One mustn't make bad habits lest they fall to sloth. For it is said in Corrinthians, 'All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful.' And, 'All things-" Setsuna tuned the other woman out, wishing to just let the door slowly creep back closed. Upon noticing she had finished speaking and was looking expectantly at her, Setsuna smiled back at her.

"Yeah you're right Ibara, but I'm just a bit distr-," Setsuna's voice slipped to a higher pitch as she stopped talking. A chill of pleasure crept across her body as she felt Izuku pull her body flush with his and his breath tickled her neck. She in turn, used the arm attached to her body to gently nudge him in the ribs.

This proved to be unwise, as he let out a groan and shifted in the bed as he woke up. Ibara tilted her head, trying to get a peek into the room to see what was going on. Setsuna tried her best to block Ibara's visibility with her head. Unfortunately for Setsuna, a groggy Izuku decided it was a good time to speak up.

"Morning Suna," he said as he sat up stretching, the covers falling off and exposing the upper half of his nude form. "Ready for round two?" He asked with a small chuckle as he rubbed his eyes. As he dropped his hands he looked quizzically at Setsuna's headless body, then around the room before stopping on Setsuna's arm and head floating by the door. Her arm pointed out the crack of the door, before floating up and making a "quiet" motion towards him.

He tilted his head in confusion, but it was too late: "My word… is there someone else in there? And they've been here overnight…" Ibara was muttering rapidly to herself as her face turned bright red. "I must protect myself from being tainted by the impurities of the wicked one," she continued muttering as she walked down the hall in stunned silence.

Setsuna shut the door with a sigh, before facing Izuku, "I guess I'll be hearing more from her in the coming days…" She gave Izuku a kiss, moving his head over so that she could attach hers back as the kiss broke. "Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later." Setsuna stood up and started going through her dresser to grab a fresh uniform. Meanwhile, Izuku began to get up from the bed, taking a minute to stretch before grabbing his clothes from the bathroom floor. He threw the items back on, then went behind Setsuna as she got ready to use her shower. Izuku quickly embraced her from behind and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I'll see you later, I want to try making it back before anyone in my dorm starts banging on the door and asking where I am." With that, he gathered up his sling bag from the other day, closed his eyes, and focused on his own room as he tried to teleport to his room.

"Whatcha doing Izzy?" Setsuna asked, causing the man to open his eyes as a confused look came across his face. He closed his eyes again, scrunching up his face in concentration as he tried once again before giving an exasperated sigh.

He opened his eyes and turned to face Setsuna, "Well, I wanted to just teleport to my room-" in that instant he disappeared in a green flash, "- but nothing happened when I thought of it like I normally do" he finished as he faced the All Might posters of his own room.

* * *

**Two Days Later - Class 1A**

"Alright, now that you're all recovered, it's time we discussed what your next Foundational Heroics class will be," Aizawa said as he fumbled with something in his pocket. He finally withdrew a small plastic rectangle with the word "RESCUE" boldly typed onto it.

"Today you'll be practicing another important aspect of any hero's work: search and rescue efforts. Whenever a disaster occurs, whether it be an earthquake or a war, it's the heroes' job to go out and ensure everyone affected is safe." As he paused, the class broke out into animated chatter. Some more excited than others to have the ability to prove themselves outside of combat. Aizawa held up his hands, shushing the class before he spoke up again.

"Now, we've decided due to recent events that a three man team of All Might, myself, and one other staff member will oversee today's trial. Whether or not you use your costume is up to you, at least wear your PE uniform if nothing else. I will say it's good practice to get used to moving around in your hero costume though." Aizawa pushed a button on his desk, revealing the containers that held everyone's costumes within the shelving hidden in the walls.

"Anyways, the site of our training will be further away today. I want you all to get ready then meet me out at the bus in front of this building. Class rep and Vice rep, you're in charge of the group." He said as he walked out of the class, leaving the students by themselves.

* * *

"In order for everyone to get on and off the bus smoothly we should be pairing up and organizing ourselves according to-"

"Tenya, what are you doing?" Izuku asked of the blue-haired man as he shouted at the class while they gathered near the bus.

"I was simply going to group up and do role call for-"

"Don't worry about that," Izuku cut him off, putting a hand on the other man's shoulder. "I can't have you do my job now, yeah?" He turned to the rest of the class as Tenya joined the crowd with a crestfallen look on his face.

"Alright folks! Doing roll call and assigning seats would take too long, so just come say 'hey' to me before you get on and I'll mark you as here. If you have any problems with where you're sitting, just let either myself or Momo know and we'll change some people around, ok?" With that out of the way, the class filtered by Izuku and Momo as they checked each student off on a class roster as they entered the bus: as they were finishing up, Aizawa approached and took the clipboard from Izuku while he finished a conversation on his phone.

"What do you mean he's not coming? Uh huh, uh huh… So he couldn't stay out of the limelight for a moment and used up his energy this morning?" Aizawa paused and gave a long sigh, "Fine, yeah, we'll watch the class the rest of the day. What? He wants to come by and 'say hi'? That seems unnecessary, but whatever. Alright, thanks for the heads up," and with a click on the screen the call was ended.

Izuku, Momo, and Aizawa filtered onto the bus taking the remaining free seats as the driver began to pull away from the school entrance. Their teacher spoke up, clearing his throat first to get the class's attention.

"I've just been informed by the principal that All Might won't be here to oversee the majority of our class exercise. He did want you all to know he was _really sorry_ and he'll try to drop by later in the day. Now, don't expect the chance to slack off since there will be one less teacher there, I expect you all to still give it your all." With that out of the way, the man sat back down in his chair and leaned his head back against the window, instantly falling asleep.

Izuku leaned back into his own seat, smack dab in the middle of the bus, as he closed his eyes to relax. It hadn't been quite what everyone expected, being more open with all the seats on the outer edge facing in towards each other.

"Hey, Izuku," said a voice, followed by the sound of a ***RIBBIT*** cutting through the air.

"What's up Tsuyu?" Came his reply as he opened his eyes with a slight hint of annoyance. He turned to face the woman next to him, her face clouded in thought as she also turned to look at him.

"What's up with the gym uniform?" She said, pointing out the obvious fact that he was the only student on the bus not in costume. Izuku was wearing his blue PE uniform, with the only additions being a wide neck guard, a new set of white gloves, and his red boots.

He scratched the side of his face nervously as he responded, "Well, with the fight Kacch- Katsumi and I got into during the Battle trial, my costume was more or less destroyed. Until I can get it fixed, I'm just making do with the PE uniform and whatever else I could get my hands on."

"That's rather unfortunate…" Spoke up Momo, who sat on his other side. "Though with a quirk as strong and variable like yours, I'm sure you'll have designers lining up to pair up with you once you go pro."

"You know, speaking of flashy quirks and how we look, being a Pro Hero is sorta a popularity contest right? The more heroic and outgoing you are, the more likely you are to be scouted by good agencies or companies that want a public face" spoke up Mina.

"I'm sure people like Bakugou and Todoroki will be scouted for their quirks, though Bakugou might have a tougher time with their personality…" spoke up Tsuyu, looking towards the back of the bus where the two women were. Todoroki seemed to have not even heard the conversation, while Katsumi leapt to her feet.

"What the hell does that mean?!" She said while pointing a large gloved hand towards Tsuyu. The green-haired girl let out a sound that seemed to be a mixture of laughter and frog croaks.

"We've been acquaintances for quite some time now, yet your mannerisms and temperament seems as poor as ever. In that span of time, it has become apparent that you have the mentality of a child and the temper to match. If I were to compare your personality to anything: it would be a piece of manure left in the sun." Spoke up Aoyama in response.

Izuku's eyes traveled around the rest of the bus, still slightly amazed at his and Katsumi's positions within the class. _"If someone told me a few years ago… hell, even a few weeks ago, that people would like me better than Katsumi, I would've either called them a liar or ignored them. Did I step into some alternate timeline or something?"_

"Earth to class rep, hello?" Came Aizawa's voice, jolting Izuku from his thoughts. "We're here, get everyone inside and we'll discuss today's activities there."

* * *

**UA- USJ Facility**

Izuku followed behind the rest of his classmates, ensuring that no one got left behind, while Momo led the group behind Aizawa into a large dome-shaped building. As he shuffled through the doors behind the rest of the crowd, he couldn't help but marvel at the building: above them was a several hundred meter arching glass roof, through which the high noon sun filtered illuminating the entire building.

As Izuku made his way to the front of the group, he first noticed a large arch, which lead to a long descending staircase that ended in a central courtyard for the building. Directly to the left seemed to be part of a cityscape, most of the buildings tipped over or crumbling, with the space between them filled with rocks and boulders. Moving clockwise from that was another zone that seemed to be made of a mountain dotted with various caves. Next to that was another zone with what appeared to be smouldering fires and the burning wreck of various buildings and vehicles. Following that zone was one composed of a large lagoon and a massive water slide. The lagoon was dotted with various boats, while it's center had a massive whirlpool. The final zone next to this was a smaller domed building.

"Welcome class, to the home of any disaster you could imagine! Landslides, Earthquakes, Cave-ins, Fires, Floods, Blizzards, and many more! This is a practical area that UA and I have created to simulate any event a hero might need to plunge into for rescues: we call it, the USJ!" Bellowed a voice as the owner came up the steps from the courtyard. The figure was in a strange outfit: a very puffy white astronaut suit, topped with a pitch black helmet with large white eyes, and finished off with large bright yellow sneakers.

"Wait, you mean like Universal Studios Japan? We have our own theme park on campus? Awesome!" Cried out a voice from the middle of the group. The new figure quickly held up their gloved hands and tried to shake their helmet back and forth.

"No, no, no. USJ stands for Unforseen Simulation Joint. Or as I like to call it, the Ultimate Space for Jams…" They paused as if to wait for a reaction from their crowd. "Anyways, as some of you may know, I'm the hero Thirteen! My specialty is rescue work and helping people out of jams."

Ochaco spoke up excitedly from the front of the class as she bounced on her feet, "You're one of my favorite heroes! Your quirk is blackhole, right? You can suck anything up and turn it to dust! That's got to be great for clearing away landslides or rubble to-" She was cut short as Aizawa shot her a glare silencing her interruption.

Thirteen seemed unphased by this and continued, "Yes, that's right! Always nice to meet a fan… back on topic though, my quirk also has great destructive capabilities. I could easily kill anyone with a quirk like this." They paused, allowing what they said to sink in, "That being said, I want you all to be conscious of the powers you possess. What sets us apart from the villains is how we control our powers and use them for the betterment of society. With Aizawa's test, you should've learned the extent of most of your powers. All Might's battle trial showed you the danger that your quirks can put yourselves and others into. Our time here today will be spent learning how you can use those powers to help one another!" They stopped, then took as deep a bow as their thick suit allowed, "Thank you for listening so intently!"

"Alright, thanks for that introduction Thirteen, now our activities for today will be-" Aizawa began to address the class in Thirteen's place, only to be cut off by a resonating ***POP*** sound followed by a low hum that continued to echo around the facility. He turned to face the courtyard at the center of the facility where a small black orb was hovering.

The orb stretched out, forming a disk of what appeared to be swirling black smoke. From the center, pale white fingers stretched out, soon revealing a whole hand- followed by another- that grasped the edge of the disk. The hands seemed to push at the edge of the smoke, stretching the object out until a masked face head was revealed: Much of the figure's head couldn't be seen due to several hands that were attached to it. The only visible parts of their head were tufts of light bluish-grey hair, along with a single dark red eye. The hands then grasped the edges of the smoke, pushing it further until their whole body was out of it: the person seemed extremely thin, with their body covered in a pitch black jumpsuit. Along his arms and shoulders were many other deathly pale hands grasping tightly to his body. At this point, more hands began grasping at the edge, stretching the smoky portal wider until a massive group of adults in various outfits were standing behind the first figure.

"GET TOGETHER AND DON'T MOVE!" Aizawa shouted as he pulled his goggles down over his eyes and unwrapped his capture scarf. "THIRTEEN, I'M LEAVING THEM TO YOU!" He continued as he took up a defensive position on the stairs.

"Is this something like the Entrance Exam?" Asked Kirishima as he tried to look down at the gathering crowd. Thirteen held out an arm, ushering the students back.

"No! These are villains. You all need to get out of here!" Came Aizawa's shouts as the portal seemed to finally collapse into a smoky figure behind the now massive group of villains. The new smoky figure shouted out towards the class, addressing the teachers.

"Eraserhead and Thirteen, you both are here… but, it seems All Might didn't show up today. Truly a shame considering the effort the we went to steal your lesson plans earlier this week." Aizawa narrowed his eyes at the group as he began to understand the situation. The man with the hands across his costume took a step forward, alternating between roughly scratching his hands and arms in apparent frustration.

"Where is that old fool? We went through all this trouble to prepare for this moment and gather all of us together. You can't just tell me he didn't come?" The man grabbed the sides of his head and let out an anguished scream before suddenly dropping his arms and becoming immediately calm.

"No matter. I'm sure if we just start killing some of his students and fellow teachers he'll come." The figure took another step forward, followed by the entire group behind him starting to make their way across the courtyard towards the stairs of the entrance. Aizawa in turn grit his teeth and began grabbing parts of his capture scarf.

"Thirteen, contact the school to let them know what's happening. Try with your antenna as well Kaminari! They've likely thought ahead and brought a villain with an electrowave quirk to block anything going out. While you two do that, leave the USJ while I buy you some time!" He began to walk down the stairs, only to be stopped by Izuku's shouts.

"Sir, you're not gonna fight them all alone, are you? Even if you nullify them with your own quirk or capture weapon there's too many for you to take on. Your hero style is to do quick quirk erasure, then capture before they can react, there's too ma-"

"Midoriya, I appreciate the sentiment, but this isn't the time to worry about me. You've got to look out for the rest of your class, as their leader." Aizawa began threading the capture scarf between his fingers and began to walk back down the stairs, "And besides, don't just think I'm a one trick pony. Pro Heroes have a few secrets… NOW GO!"

With his final shout, Aizawa threw himself down the stairs towards the villains. A small group at the bottom: a man with guns for fingers, another with spikes across their head, and a third that looked like a minotaur were waiting for him. As he soared through the air, the man with the finger guns pointed them at him and let loose a yell of 'fire!'... only for nothing to happen. A moment later and Aizawa's knees came slamming down into the villain's chest, knocking them to the ground out cold. He turned, wrapping part of the fabric of the capture scarf around the spike-headed figure and flung them into the stocky minotaur-like villain.

The nearest villains seemed to step back, unsure of their prospects after seeing three of their own so rapidly taken down. The man with the hands took a step forward while shouting, "You idiots! He's Eraserhead! He can nullify your quirks as long as he's looking at you. But that's why there's so many of us! He can't nullify everyone at once, so what are you standing around for?!"

With that said, the villains gained renewed courage and stepped forward. At their fore-front was a large, four-armed man whose body seemed to be made of rocks. He stepped forward, flexing his arms before sizing up Aizawa, "You can erase regular quirks, but mutants like myself are another matter, right?" He lunged, throwing 4 punches from separate directions towards the teacher. Aizawa in turn, ducked under the left arms and threw a loop of his capture scarf around one of them.

"You're right, I can't do anything about a quirk that changes your body. But-" He pulled the capture device taut, whipping the villain's two left arms behind his back and throwing him off balance, then launched elbow first into their face. With a ***THWACK*** the large villain began to bowl over. Aizawa then loosened the capture scarf from the villain's arm, deftly twisting it around the man's raised leg. With a ***HUFF*** Aizawa swung the villain off their feet into another nearby villain that was closing in.

Meanwhile, Izuku was pulling up the rear of the class as they followed Thirteen back towards the exit. As they approached the door, the black smoke-like figure appeared before them. The villain was wearing a large metal neck brace on top of a finely tailored grey suit. The black and purple fog that was part of their quirk seemed to conceal, or rather was, their body. The smoke that made up their body, began to stretch out, covering the entrance of the facility.

"Salutations. I apologize for our late introduction, but we are the Villain's Alliance. If you'd be as kind as to forgive us, we decided to allow ourselves into your campus today." The well-dressed man's bright yellow eyes scanned the group while he continued, "I was under the impression Mr. All Might would be present for today's festivities. No matter. I still have my role to play in all of t-"

The figure cut themselves short as Kirishima and Katsumi launched themselves at him. Katsumi leveled her hands at his head, releasing a short range blast, while Kirishima hardened his right arm and drove it towards the figure's chest for a punch. As the smoke of Katsumi's blast dispersed, the figure seemed to be completely fine, the only difference was their suit was slightly singed and torn.

"That was rather perilous. But now it's my turn." The villain lifted up their arms, and a torrent of the purple and black smoke billowed out from it. It rapidly gushed towards the class, quickly surrounding them and obscuring any view of the rest of the facility.

"Get behind me!" Came a shout from Thirteen.

"I don't think so!" Came the reply of the villain's reply as the smoke began to rush at the fringe of the class. The students slowly disappeared within the cloud of smoke, while the only sound was the soft chuckling of the villain.

"You all will be scattered. Broken, beaten, and then killed. And then when that fool All Might comes and sees what remains of you, he will experience the same."

* * *

Izuku's eyes had instinctively closed upon seeing the villain's quirk rush towards him. _"How can you fight fog? Katsumi and Kirishima couldn't even scratch them…"_ A rush of wind snapped his eyes back open, while his mind went into overdrive. Izuku looked straight down to see he was no longer near the entrance: instead, he was plummeting several feet towards a large body of water filled with boats. Before he hit the surface of the water, he twisted his body to get another look at his surroundings: off in the distance was the crowd of villains, and in the air across the nearby areas portals of the purple and black smoke were popping open and dropping bodies.

"_Wait… I'm in the flood zone? Which means…"_ "His quirk is warping!" He managed to shout out as his body slammed into the lagoon's surface. Izuku's lungs sputtered as he plunged beneath the water's surface, rapidly descending several meters down. He forced his eyes open, stinging slightly as they adjusted to the water. In the distance he could make out a figure approaching as he began to swim upwards. A muddled voice vibrated through the water from the direction of the approaching figure.

"Looks like it's feeding time boys! Nothing personal kid, but the boss says we have to get rid of ya!" The figure rapidly approached, causing Izuku to kick harder with his legs in a desperate attempt to ascend. As they got closer, Izuku looked back, noticing the figure was largely a muscular man, with the notable difference being that instead of a neck their upper body flowed into a shark's head. Izuku began clawing at the water, thinking to himself, _"Come on, just give me a little extra speed, or teleport me to the edge of the water… do something damnit, quirk!"_ Yet his body seemed to continue to cut through the water just as slowly.

As the villain approached, their jaw slowly swinging open and exposing multiple rows of teeth, a green and black leg, ending in webbed flippers came and kicked the villain in the face. Izuku looked up, relief washing over him as Tsuyu crashed into the shark-man. Her tongue shot out wrapping around Izuku's torso, and then her legs extended kicking off the villain and launching both her and Izuku out of the water and through the air. The two slammed into the deck of a nearby fishing boat, with Tsuyu's tongue rapidly uncoiling and letting Izuku collapse to the floor. He got up to offer her his thanks, but she was already jumping back into the water. A few quiet seconds later and she emerged in another splash, this time bringing Mineta aboard.

"Thanks Tsuyu… I don't want to think about what would've happened if you didn't grab me…" Izuku said as the other two stood back up. Mineta looked shaken by the whole event, while Tsuyu looked unphased. She looked back out at the water, getting Izuku and Mineta's attention: a small group of five or six villains began to surface a few meters away from the boat. Some having physical quirks that made them look like fish or sharks, while others simply had wetsuits and gills.

"This is quite the situation we're in. I can't believe this many villains got in without tripping the alarm… I guess that's why they had the warping guy though." She spoke up as she continued to look back and forth between the villains in the lagoon.

"It's okay! The teachers can handle it! And even if they can't, they'll buy us enough time until All Might is here!" Mineta spoke up, sounding as if he was trying to convince himself. Tsuyu turned back to look at him and raised an eyebrow.

"They did say they came here to kill All Might. And I don't think they'd have brought all these villains here if they weren't sure they could do it." She responded. At this Mineta began to break down slightly, his whole body started to shake. Izuku shook off his own thoughts as he looked from the lagoon to his classmates.

"Tsuyu's right, they wouldn't be here if they didn't think they could do it. But that doesn't mean we should give up. We can't just wait for the teachers to come and rescue us, we need to do our part and fight too."

* * *

**UA- Faculty Lounge**

"Damn, still no signal… Hmmm… I'll just go check on them. I should have about ten minutes left in me… so, I'll just drop by, say 'I AM HERE', give them a motivational talk about rescuing, then leave." All Might said as he paced back and forth within the faculty room. He had tried calling Thirteen and Aizawa, but neither call had been able to go through to their lines. As he reached for the door, it swung in, a diminutive figure walking past with a kettle and two cups on a tray. They set it down on the coffee table in the center of the room before turning back to All Might.

"Can I interest you in some tea, Toshinori?" Asked the small, bear-mouse-dog-like creature. Principal Nezu poured two cups of steaming water into cups, then added two tea bags. They sat down on a small green sofa before picking one up, lightly dunking the bag and letting the leaves soak before gesturing with their paw towards the other one. Across from them, on another green sofa, sat the deflated form of All Might. Yagi Toshinori acquiesced and leaned across the table to grab the other cup.

"I shouldn't be here relaxing, I should be out there watching over my class and helping Aizawa and Thirteen with the rescue lesson." He spoke up, taking a moment to blow on the tea once he was done. Nezu meanwhile took a sip of the drink before replying.

"Nonsense. Do you want to expose your secret to all of them? You were the one who thought you could go galavanting around doing other heroes' work on your commute, so now you'll reap what you sowed." He took another sip of tea, then wrinkled his snout slightly. A few drops of honey were added and stirred in before another sip was taken.

"I shouldn't have to remind you that you need to keep up your strength and appearance if you want to trick the world into thinking you're still at one hundred percent… Though perhaps if I remind you of that, you'll start being more prudent and think of your apprentice." Nezu placed his cup down on the table, hopping off the couch to pour more tea.

"How _is_ your protege?" The small creature asked in genuine interest. "From what I've seen of his entrance exam and physical tests from Aizawa, he's quite a find." Toshinori grabbed his own cup off the table, his own throat now seeming incredibly dry. After a sip, he spoke up.

"I'm embarrassed to say… I'm not quite sure. I haven't quite found the time to talk to him or properly mentor him while we've been at UA." Toshinori reached up and scratched his cheek as he thought more, "The only time I have talked to him recently was a day or two ago. He said he had been trying to use his quirk to do some basic movements or muscle enhancements, but it hadn't been working out." He paused and leaned over, resting his forearms on his legs, "He actually said he used to be able to think and have his quirk work, but recently, it's only triggered when speaking… I actually worry for him. He came into his quirk so late into his life, and it seems he has no end of trouble..."

The Principal let out a soft ***Hmmm*** as they mulled over what All Might said. Nezu raised a small paw as he came out of his thoughts, "Perhaps his quirk is mutating? It isn't unheard of. And I wouldn't be too terribly surprised now that you've given him yours as well. We live in an extraordinary and unprecedented time… it's hard to say what could be occurring tomorrow, let alone mere hours from now."

Nezu took another sip from their cup of tea, "Now, how about you talk some more with me, then you can go see your class in a few minutes?"

* * *

**USJ- Flood Zone**

"It seems like we have the advantage for now." Izuku said to Tsuyu and Mineta as he returned from the boat's edge. "They're all waiting out in the water to make their next move, so I'd guess they don't know what our quirks are… speaking of which, I know what your quirk is Mineta, but what's yours Tsuyu?"

"I've got the qualities of a frog. I can leap pretty high, can climb up walls fairly easily, and lash out with my tongue about 20 meters."

"And as you both might've seen, I've got some freedom with what I can do with my quirk… we just need to come up with a plan-" As Izuku raised a hand to his chin, one of the villains bobbed up from beneath the water and charged at the ship with a trident. They raised the weapon up, then cut it down when they were about a meter from the ship. In response, a razor thin wave of water followed the trident, cutting the boat they were on clean in half. For a moment, all was still, then the ship began to slide apart.

"I don't want to die now!" Cried Mineta as he began ripping his sticky balls off and throwing them towards the villains in the water. They eyed them warily, moving slowly away from the floating purple balls as Mineta's pace slowed to a stop.

"Well, you've bought us some time I guess… Though they'll probably just dive under or go around them after long enough." Izuku said as he gripped the side of the sinking boat. "Say, Tsuyu, would you be able to get the three of us back to the shore if I made an opening?" She looked back and forth between Mineta and Izuku, then gave a small nod.

"_Now, I could use One for All, but that may end up keeping me out of the fight if we have to face more villains. But I'm not even sure if I could properly use my own quirk… maybe if I could freeze the water around them? Or evaporate it all? Or-"_

"Not to hurry whatever you're gonna do… but I'd prefer you try it before the boat sinks?" Spoke up Tsuyu, shaking Izuku from his thoughts.

"Sorry, right… Can you get ready with Mineta and I?" Tsuyu nodded, wrapping one arm across Mineta's back, while she stood watching Izuku. He took a deep breath, focusing on the balls Mineta had scattered around the villains. _"Now, if I can just make all those have magnetic charges, they'll be attracted to each other. The movement or linking up of all those balls should hopefully trap the villains in between."_ He let out his breath, focusing on that idea as his eyes snapped towards the villains.

"Okay Tsuyu! Let's go!" With that, her tongue lashed out, wrapping around Izuku's torso before her legs kicked harshly off the wooden deck. As it cracked beneath her legs, the three of them launched off the deck, and a few meters over the water's surface. Izuku looked back, his face turning to a look of panic upon realizing nothing had happened with what he tried. As his mind rushed to figure out what to do, the three of them slammed back into the water. Izuku pulled himself out, finding he could now stand as they were in the shallows of the zone next to the courtyard.

Tsuyu's tongue retracted, while her grip dropped off Mineta, the two of them standing up and getting their bearings. They also turned to look back the villains, which had now made their way past the sticky traps left by Mineta, and were swimming madly towards the group of young heroes on the shore.

"Uh, weren't you gonna do something Izuku?" Spoke up Tsuyu, worry starting to creep into her voice.

"I thought so too… I guess my quirk disagreed with what I wanted to do though?" He replied, trying to hide the panic that was currently enveloping his mind.

"Well we need to do something! Come on Izuku, you're the class rep, think of something to do with that power of yours! Get us out of here!" Mineta cried out as they began to move out of the water to the sandy beach.

Izuku looked at the shorter man, his mask of confidence slipping slightly as he yelled back at the other man, "I'm trying! I want to get them all in one shot so I don't end up overextending myself and put myself out of the fight. Do you think it's as easy as me saying, 'I wish the Flood Zone would collapse?!'"

As he shouted at the other man and threw his hands up in the air. Several groans could be heard echoing across the facility. Izuku lowered his arms, then furrowed his brow and looked across the zone towards where the massive slides of the zone were. They seemed to shimmer green for a moment as they continued to groan, then the air was silent and still. The green-haired man suddenly held his head as a massive splitting headache rocked his skull.

***CRACK, CRACK, SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH*** The wooden struts that held the massive metal slide up began to buckle under an unseen pressure. The entire structure began to sway, then began careening over towards the center of the lagoon. The various aquatic villains that had been bee-lining towards the heroes on the shore paused to look at the noise: upon seeing the massive structure headed in their direction, the group began to swim with renewed vigor now in an attempt to escape. As it cut through the air, pieces of wood began to ***SNAP* **and ***CRACK*** apart, splintering across the water, while the massive metal slide slammed into the water's surface with a wet ***SLAP***.

Tsuyu, Mineta, and Izuku could only look on in a mixture of abject horror and amazement as the zone fell apart. As the slide and it's support slammed into the water's surface, the water rushed outwards, pushing several meters up out of the lagoon and past the group's ankles on the beach. As quickly as the tide came in it went back out into the lagoon, sucking both the villains, boats- both whole and splintered- back towards the massive wreckage. All these items slammed together with a loud ***FOOM*** as everything launched into the air atop a spray of water. The villains, now bound together by Mineta's sticky balls that also got dragged in, slammed back onto the water's surface as they floundered trying to break free.

Izuku finally blinked at the scene, rubbing his still throbbing head as he finally registered what had happened. He tried to sit against the shore, "I think I'll try not to say anything unless I have to," he finally managed to squeak out as the two next to him meekly nodded.

* * *

**USJ- Landslide Zone**

Aoyama, Toru, and Todoroki had landed towards the top of the zone: the area below them was a patchwork of earth, boulders, and buildings that seemed to flow back down to the central plaza where a large wall kept all the parts of the zone from spilling into the courtyard.

"You okay?" spoke up Shino as she addressed her two classmates. Aoyama leaped back to his feet, wiping dirt and dust off his cape, while Toru- at least her visible gloves and boots- twisted back and forth to check herself.

"Yeah! I'm just a bit shaken by this, but overall- wait," Toru cut herself off mid sentence as she turned to their partially frozen classmate, "You can talk?!" She ran up, holding a gloved hand out as she approached the other girl.

"I honestly thought you were mute or something by this point! If Ojiro didn't tell me you said something to him during the Battle Trials I would've thought you were just like a robot or something! Wow, this is so exciting! But still terrifying because of the villains. Ah! I'm just so-" She continued to gush as Shino awkwardly scratched her cheek. The red and white-haired girl took a step back from her, holding a hand up to try to get a word in to calm the other woman down.

"Really… anyways if you're good to go, we need to get out of here. How about you?" She asked Aoyama, the man still busy trying to get specs of dirt and dust off his cape. He waved his hand slightly dismissively, earning a sigh of exasperation from Shino. She turned from the other two students, to see a group of villains approaching: some wielding guns or swords, while others seemed to be covered in metal or spikes.

"Get behind me," She curtly said to Aoyama and Toru, the other two jolting upon seeing the villains approaching. Shino took a step forward with her right foot, ice rapidly spreading across the ground at her touch. The entire area in front of her became flash frozen, with the villains being encased in ice up to their necks. She took a step closer to the nearest villain.

"I could sit here and wait for you all to freeze to death, but that would be counteractive to my efforts to become a hero." She paused and looked at some of the other human popsicles around her before looking back at the villain she was addressing, "So if all of you want to keep living with minimum frostbite, you should tell me about this plan to kill All Might?" As she said this a distant ***RUMBLE*** momentarily distracted her, drawing her attention to the zone directly across where it seemed a portion of the structures were falling apart.

* * *

**USJ- Earthquake Zone**

"If you could all do me a favor and either piss off or DIE," Katsumi screamed as she blasted a villains chest, rocketing them into a wall where they slumped over unconscious, "then that would be really great." As she dropped her arm back down, another villain charged at her from behind with a sword raised. They let out a fierce cry as they brought the weapon down towards her head. Without even looking at them, Katsumi raised an arm over her shoulder and let loose another blast. The villain's blade was shattered, while they were launched up into the ceiling before slamming back into the floor out cold.

Meanwhile, several meters away... Kirishima hardened his arms to block a sword strike, then stuck both arms on either side of the blade and snapped it in half. He hardened his head, grabbed the villain by their shoulders, and headbutted them twice at which point they crumpled. He bent over and took a moment to catch his breath before going through the doorway to the next room to find Katsumi.

"Oh, pointy hair, you're still alive." Katsumi said with a degree of surprise.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence… these guys weren't too tough though," Kirishima fired back. He wiped some sweat from his brow, "Now come on, we should get going and try to help any others that may be nearby. Not everyone will be ready to take on villains in battle." He turned to walk towards the door, stopping at the threshold to look back at Katsumi. She remained firmly planted.

"If you want to go, go by yourself. I'm going to go blow that warp bastard apart." She said as she brushed past Kirishima. He gave an angry huff and reached out to grab her shoulder, causing Katsumi to spin around and look at him with a snarl on her face.

"You need to calm down. You can't just run around acting like a little kid trying to get revenge on a bully. And we already tried to hit him before!" Kirishima said while trying to keep his cool. Katsumi brushed the hand off her shoulder, then shook her head.

"You don't get it, that bastard is the one who was their entrance here! That probably means he's also their way out. If we can get him out of the way-"

"Don't forget about us! I'll make sure this place is your tomb!" Came a cry as another villain appeared lunging with a knife towards Katsumi. She leaned to the side, grabbing the villains head before slamming and blasting it into the building's floor.

"- they won't be able to make their escape. And if they have small fries like these everyone, they're severely underestimating us all." She said, brushing some dirt and blood off her gloves as she stood back up.

"Wow, I don't think I've ever seen you this calm or analytical before." Kirishima commented with a snicker.

"I'm always calm! What are you talking about!?" Katsumi exploded back at him with. "Now get outta my way so I can-"

"Hold on. That was a pretty manly idea you had there, Bakugou. If you've got a plan, I'm not just gonna leave you hanging."

Katsumi gave a small huff, "Fine, just don't get in my way."

* * *

**USJ- Cave In Zone**

"Shiiiiit, that's way too close for comfort, these guys really aren't messing around," Kaminari said as he dived away from another villain's punch, "Why the hell are villains here!? Isn't UA supposed to have some emergency alert system for that?" he cried out as he stood back up, now closer to Momo and Jiro. The two women were side by side, Momo wielding a metallic bo staff while Jiro held a short sword of the same material. The three were now back to back as a large group of between ten to twenty villains began to close in.

"We can worry about all of that later, for right now we just need to get out of here," replied Jiro as she swung her weapon in a wide arc towards one of the approaching villains. "And don't you have some electric quirk or something? Just zap these guys so we can get out of here."

"I can discharge electricity; but, unless you want to end up fried too, I can't do much. Just give me a weapon," He whined while holding a hand up to his ear-radio. He dropped the hand with a look of defeat, "Still can't send a message out either… I'll have to rely on you two for now." Jiro looked over at Kaminari, then moved to face him.

"Well, if you can shock people, don't just stand here," she stretched a leg up and squarely kicked him in the small of the back, propelling him towards the villains, "Be our human-stun gun." Kaminari's arms flailed wildly as he tried to stop his momentum. His hands soon meet the chest of large masked man, at which point he squeezed his eyes and let loose an electric blast. With a loud ***CRACKLE*** the man swayed, then toppled to the ground as he twitched from the shock.

"Oh, that was easier than I thought," Kaminari said as he gave a thumbs up to the two girls. Another villain then swung a massive limb that ended in a hand covered in rocks like a wrecking ball. As it contacted with Kaminari, he let loose another blast, toppling this villain as well. As Momo watched other villains begin to step back and eye Kaminari warily, she came up with an idea. She leaned over, concentrating in thought at which point a large grey tarp billowed out of her back. As the material floated into the air for a moment, she leaned over and pulled Jiro under it with her.

"Go ahead and do a full blast Kaminari! This will insulate and protect the two of us," She yelled while pulling the sheet flush against the ground. The blonde-haired man nodded, then with a yell let loose a massive blast of electricity, live bolts of energy dancing out from his body and arcing between the crowd of villains. As the last few seemed to fall, Kaminari let the current dissipate. He stood barely teetering back and forth on his feet while Momo threw the blanket off of herself and Jiro. He turned and gave the girls a goofy grin and thumbs up before pitching forward unto his face.

* * *

**USJ- Entrance**

"Tenya Iida! You must run and get the other teachers to help! They're blocking our communication efforts!" Yelled Thirteen as they stood between the remaining students and portal villain. "And YOU! I won't let you hurt, let alone touch a single hair on the heads of any of my students!" As they let loose this battle cry, the tips of the fingers of Thirteen's gloves flipped down. As that happened, they began to suck the edge of the smoke villain's figure towards them, with rapidly increasing intensity.

In response, the villain let out a small ***tch*** before forcing an orb of smoke to appear in front of and behind Thirteen. As the orbs appeared, they widened into two portals, with the whirlwind force of Thirteen's blackhole now pulling on the back of their spacesuit. As this continued, the fabric and plating on their back began to tear off, followed shortly by a padded inner suit, and some skin and blood from their back. With a cry of anguish, Thirteen flipped their glove fingertips back closed, cutting off the suction of the black hole. They collapsed to the ground with a ***THUD***.

"Poor Thirteen, you didn't think too far ahead and now incapacitated yourself with your own power." The villain chided as their smoky form retreated back into their suit. Tenya looked at the broken suit of their teacher, then back at the villain before activating his leg engines and taking off in a mad dash for the exit.

"I'm sorry my boy, we can't have you off getting any other heroes. That would spoil our fun here." The villain said ominously as the stretched their smoky form to block him. As Tenya continued to sprint, Shoji leapt from where the other students were, spreading out his webbed arms in an attempt to grapple the villain. They pulled back their smoky form, allowing Tenya the breadth he needed to pass by. He pressed the engines in his legs to their limits, the exhaust pipes heating up and burning his calves a bright cherry red.

"_I need to get out there and warn the teachers. I'm the only one left out front here that would have the speed to break out from this situation! I promise you all I'll be back as soon as possible, just wait for me!"_ he thought as he continued to push his limits. He was about ten meters from the door when the smoky villain lunged again at him from above. As the villain descended upon him, Ochaco threw herself behind Tenya.

"_He's been wearing that neck brace this entire time… that has to be part of or hiding an actual part of his body if I can just touch it…"_ She thought as she spun around, hand outstretched to slap the region. With a small ***smack*** her fingertips made contact with a surface within the opening of the brace. She pushed up against the surface, vaulting the villain into the air as his gravity was released.

"Sero!" She called out, the other man nodding as he shot out a length of tape from his elbows. It lanced towards the villain wrapping around the neck brace, at which point Sero grabbed the lengths of tape and swung the villain away from their group. Ochaco pressed her fingertips back together, and with a slight pink glow, the villain regained his weight as he plummeted back towards the ground. His form billowed out into a portal beneath him, and he seemed to disappear from the area.

"Thank You! Just hold out and watch Thirteen!" Came Tenya's call over his shoulder as he ran through the USJ's entrance doors.

* * *

**USJ- Central Plaza**

Izuku, Tsuyu, and Mineta had made their way from the beach of the flood zone to the grassy edge of the center of the USJ, while watching Aizawa continue to fight off the villains that remained there. He seemed to have been faring well, taking out most of the crowd except for about three or four of the villains, while the man with the hands across his body stood on the side with a large beast-like man. It was becoming more obvious that Aizawa was slowing down, one villain landing a punch to the side of his head, while another cut through his outfit and into his forearm.

Izuku peeked out from the bush he was behind, biting his thumb as he looked on the scene, "Damnit, I know he told us not to interfere; but, at this rate, even a pro-hero like him will slip up." Mineta waved a hand in Izuku's face, grabbing his attention.

"You're not thinking of jumping out there to help him, are you? We barely got away from those villains surrounding us before." Izuku bit down harder on the edge of his thumb as he tried to think.

"_I could try jumping out there to try punching one or two of the villains to help him… but that might expose Tsuyu and Mineta to the other villains. I could use my quirk here… but based on the last few times, it looks like I'd have to say something for it to actually work. I need to try being as precise as possible so I don't end up hurting Eraserhead…"_ Izuku held his hands out, muttering a quiet "work your way back around to the entrance, I'm going to try getting closer", as he crouched low and moved from the bushes they were behind to another row closer to the fight.

He peeked over the small hedge, just in time to see a villain with curved spines across his body- akin to a porcupine- stab Aizawa in his right arm then punch the man onto his back. He began to draw himself back onto his feet as he took several labored breaths. Izuku took a deep breath of his own, as his own plan came to mind, _"Now or never."_

"Turn the ground into quicksand around those villains." As the words poured out, the villains continued closing in on Aizawa. One took another pace closer to the hero, their leg immediately sinking into the earth which was glowing a light shade of green. He struggled to try to pull the limb back out, only to sink further in. His other leg was now doing the same. As this occurred, the other villains tried to take a step back, only to find their own limbs sinking. They flailed around clawing at the ground with the arms as the earth devoured them. As Izuku saw their torsos become buried, he spoke up again.

"Stop and keep them in place." The ground seemed to stop shining green, the villains were now more than half submerged with their heads and arms awkwardly sticking out of the ground. As he dropped with a sigh behind the bush, Izuku heard the villain's leader cry out.

"That's not fair! That's not fair at all! Where's the one who did this?!" Izuku leaned his head to the side of the bush to see the man was frantically scratching at his face while looking around the area. As he continued to panic, Aizawa had leapt towards him, his right hand outstretched to punch him. The villain took the fist to his face while a loud ***THWACK*** echoed across the courtyard. As the fist continued past the villain, he quickly lunged out and grabbed Aizawa's elbow: the fabric of his hero costume immediately began to disintegrate, and a moment later, the skin of the elbow began to peel away exposing the layer beneath. Aizawa roughly shoved the man's hand off and cradled the injured elbow with his other arm.

"Nononono… It'll be fine," The villain mumbled to himself, he then turned to Aizawa then gestured to the beast next to him. It was skin was black as tar with a giant muscled physique that bulged under its over two meter tall exterior. The head was some nightmarish mashup of parts: an exposed pink brain that sat atop it, with bloodshot eyes that sat directly next to the bottom of the brain. The 'things' mouth looked like a beak, but the inside was filled with razor sharp rows of teeth.

"Nomu, I'm tired of watching our friends play with the hero. Kill him." Quicker than a blink of the eye, the giant being launched itself at Aizawa. It wrapped a massive hand around the back of his head, then slammed him face-first into the ground. It peeled up Aizawa's face, now covered in blood and broken pieces of his goggles before slamming his face back into the ground again. Izuku peeled his eyes away from the broken mess of his teacher as he noticed a swirl of black and purple behind the villain's leader.

"Kurogiri…" The hand-covered man said to the other figure, "Did you take care of the students and Thirteen?" The smokey figure bowed over slightly to their leader.

"Shigaraki. I incapacitated Thirteen… however, the students I was unable to scatter proved to be more… creative, then I thought they would be. One was able to escape. Perhaps it would be prudent to take Nomu and retreat for now?" Upon hearing that, the one now known as Shigaraki lifted their hands in the air. They twitched several times, before doing what looked like choking the air as he let out an anguished yell.

"You idiot! You had one purpose: to ensure that no one could leave here alive!" The man started scratching frantically at his face as his tone betrayed his panic, "With all the pros that will show up, it'll be our loss."

"So you do wish to retreat?" Spoke up Kurogiri, a portal slowly forming behind him.

"Not yet… I want All Might to experience some degree of failure today," Shigaraki's head whipped towards Izuku, the man running in his direction as Izuku ducked down and tried to flatten himself against the hedge. He sucked in his breath, as the man's shadow approached, only to be confused as he instead ran right by towards the lagoon. Izuku's eyes went wide as he realized the man had noticed Tsuyu and Mineta. He was now reaching out, grasping at the two's necks. Izuku leapt to his feet going after the man as his heart pounded. His eyes went wide and his heart stopped as he saw the man's hands make contact with his classmates.

A moment of silence passed, as the villain waited for his disintegration quirk to kick in… then another… finally, he spoke up as he turned around.

"Wow, you're even more impressive than I thought Eraserhead, to think you'd still be nullifying quirks in your state. You really are cool" Within the monstrous being's grasp, Eraserhead continued to stare down Shigaraki, nullifying his corrosive touch. The distraction gave enough time for Izuku to lunge at the thin man.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM THEM!" He yelled, as he punched in an uppercut towards the man. The villain's eyes went wide as he looked at Izuku.

"NOMU!" In an instant, Aizawa's limp frame was dropped to the ground, and the behemoth stood between Izuku and Shigaraki. Izuku's fist contacted the beast's stomach, forcing it to skid backwards slightly in the dirt. It then looked down at Izuku, it's mouth hanging open showing off its jagged teeth as it stood completely unphased by his punch.

"Oh, how precious, another wanna-be hero," Shigaraki taunted as the 'Nomu' picked up Izuku by his arm. "No matter. You bought your friends some time; but, I'll have you take their place. The wind was knocked out of Izuku as the monster wrapped him in both its arms, crushing his chest in a colossal hug. He tried to sputter out words, anything to break free of the monster, but could only gasp.

"**ENOUGH! HAVE NO FEAR. FOR I AM HERE!"** Came All Might's booming voice. He grit his teeth, then threw aside his suit jacket and loosened his tie.

"I had just been heading over to stop by here, when I meet young Iida along the way. He gave me the rundown of what happened… **THAT YOU TRASH HAVE COME HERE THREATENING MY STUDENTS!**" He leapt off the stairs, knocking down some of the villains that had recovered and were standing back up. He landed next to Aizawa, gingerly picking up the man with one arm.

"I'm sorry, I should've come sooner, It's your turn to rest." He said, then turned towards Izuku. With lightning quick speed, slammed his free arm into the back of the 'Nomu' creature, causing its grip on Izuku to slip. In an instant, he grabbed Izuku, Tsuyu, and Mineta in the arm not carrying Aizawa and leapt back towards the stairs with them.

"I'm leaving Aizawa in your care! It seems he's only unconscious, so bring him up with Thirteen until help arrives!"

"But All Mi-"

"**NO**, Young Midoriya. There is no room for doubt now. Listen to me and do this, so that I may focus wholey on fighting! You've all fought so valiantly so far, now it's my turn!" Tsuyu grabbed Izuku's shoulder, giving him a slight nod. He looked from All Might, to the broken body of Aizawa, then nodded at the hero. Tsuyu and Izuku grabbed underneath his arms, while Mineta tried to carry his legs. They started up the stairs towards where there class was gathering near Thirteen.

"**Now you**," All Might said, turning towards Shigaraki and the 'Nomu', as he didn't even attempt to restrain animosity from creeping into his voice. "I don't take pleasure in beating villains… **But I'll make an exception for you**." He crouched down, then sprung forward with his arms crossed, aimed directly at the chest of the giant beast.

"**CAROLINA SMASH,"** All Might cried as he slammed into the creature. He immediately dropped to his feet, pivoted on his right foot, then drove his right fist into the monster with another shout of, **"SMASH!"** He ducked down, then jumped back as the creature slammed its fist down in turn. Its body didn't even seem to be fazed by the blows it had taken.

"So it's true…" Shigaraki said as he watched the fight unfold, "You have grown either slower or weaker… On the other hand, Nomu is the peak being. His 'shock absorption quirk' will stop any damage you deal… you'd be better off trying to tear him in half." All Might's brow furrowed, his fury renewed.

"If that's how it is… how about this?!" He yelled as he grabbed the monster by its waist. He bent backwards, and dropped into a suplex, driving the monsters head towards the ground. As the two made impact, dirt and dust launched into the air from the explosive force of the impact. Izuku, Tsuyu, and Mineta finally reached the rest of the class, gently setting Aizawa on his back before turning back to the fight at hand. As the dust cleared, the class let out a collective gasp as they noticed that Kurogiri had created a portal underneath All Might, allowing the giant beast in his grasp to slam its fists into All Might's stomach. The hero sputtered and coughed up some blood as the fists continued to grind into his side.

Izuku took one step, followed by another as he broke into a sprint down the stairs. _"No matter how much he wants to… All Might can't do this alone. The rest of them don't know about his injury… I still need your help… I need a mentor…"_ He leapt down the last few stairs running towards the villains, desperate to try and help. As he pulled an arm back to try and blow them away, a giant gauntlet reached over his shoulder and shoved him aside.

"OUT OF THE WAY, DEKU!" Katsumi screamed as she vaulted past him and onto Kurogiri with a blast from her hands. She held one gloved hand around the area of the man's neck, while another was hovering over his head. "Try to so much as move, and I won't hesitate to blast you away." She said with a maniacal grin.

A sheet of ice rapidly crept across the ground, freezing the left half of the Nomu's exposed torso, along with both of its arms. "It was a good plan… but you didn't count on the rest of us now did you?" spoke up Shino as she walked closer, increasing the intensity of her ice built up around the beast. "You should find better coworkers. It's hard to have a secret plan if they can't keep it a secret."

"GRAHH," cried out Kirishima as he launched a hardened left arm at Shigaraki. The villain took the blow directly to his face and stumbled back slightly, while Kirishima moved over to join Katsumi and Shino.

"Damn you all… you heroes are too much… even you students are more than what we bargained for. NOMU! Clear out a path for us." The beast leaned back, then slammed it's body forward, it's frozen arms ripped from its body as it pulled itself free of its grapple from All Might. Its head then whipped towards Katsumi, and it lunged, intending to body slam her to free Kurogiri. As it neared her, All Might pulled himself back to his feet, then dash and intercepted the attack with his arms crossed in front of him. He coughed up another pool of blood onto his now torn dress shirt, as he struggled to stand blocking Katsumi from the attack. Meanwhile, the shadowy figure of Kurogiri teleported away and now stood once again behind Shigaraki. The Nomu took a step back from All Might, the pink and red muscle of its shoulder blades beginning to bubble out as new arms grew.

"Oh, did I forget to mention? Shock absorption isn't Nomu's only quirk. Take a look at his super regeneration." The group of heroes looked on in horror as the pink nubs that grew out of the beast's shoulder rapidly expanded, before growing new skin. Within seconds, it was as if it hadn't received any damage.

"We need to help-"

All Might cut them off, "**NO**, I told you before and I'll say it again. This is not your-" the distraction was enough, as the Nomu's new fist slammed directly into All Might's stomach, launching him back into the entrance's staircase. The hero pulled himself out of the small crater his impact had made into the structure. He took a step forward, then buckled slightly onto his knee. He coughed up another lung-full of blood as he struggled back to his feet.

"If you think about it, us heroes and villains don't really differ," Shigaraki spoke up as he looked at All Might's beaten form. "We both use violence to protect our own. The only difference is that you run around with your noble ideals and oppressive status as the 'Symbol of Peace'. You merely use that title as a way to suppress others and beget more violence."

"_This guy is insane! I just need to buy All Might some time… he can't keep up with this thing right now."_ Izuku thought as he dashed towards the monster.

"Hey! Look at me!" He yelled at the Nomu. A green light washed over the monster, and its gaze slowly trailed over towards Izuku. It turned away from All Might, now focusing solely on the younger man. "Now, Sto-" Izuku wasn't even able to get out the full command as the beast charged him and slammed a fist into his chest with a sickening ***CRACK***. Izuku tumbled across the ground several meters, until he skidded to a stop on his back. He tried to breath, but found his chest in incredible pain, the motion of his lungs filling with air bringing tears to his eyes. He struggled to take another breath, his vision becoming spotty and hazy.

"_If only All Might never received that injury, he wouldn't have to worry abo-"_ Izuku's mind raced, struggling to connect his thoughts into words as he felt himself slipping away._ "Wait… how have I never thought of something like this."_ With another gasping breath he brought himself onto his hands and knees looking at both All Might and Nomu.

"Tr-Transfer-" several labored breaths and ***WHEEZE***s overcame Izuku, "All Might's wound to this villain." A green glow covered both the monster and All Might as Izuku's world turned black.

...

...

...

"**YOUNG MIDORIYA!" "MIDORIYA!" "IZUKU!" "DEKU!"** Came several angry and anguished cries as the class and All Might saw Izuku take a punch from the monster before crumpling to the ground. The beast then turned to face All Might. It tilted its head slightly, then looked down as it's abdomen caved in as it was washed in a light green hue. A moment later, and the caved in area rotted away, then was replaced with new muscle and skin from its regenerative abilities.

As All Might watched the curious display, he felt a sudden burst of energy, as if his aches and pains had faded. _"This strength… this raw power and energy. I haven't felt this great since I was back in America."_ All Might pulled himself to his feet as he curled his fists, he tentatively brought a hand down and touched his side, pushing into his upper stomach and lower chest, feeling no gaping space or even any pain from the pressure. With a burst of speed, he rushed past the Nomu, delivering a **"SMASH!"** to its face before scooping up Izuku. He returned to Katsumi, Shino, and Kirishima and deposited his protege's body there.

"**I'll make sure to Smash this villain into dust. You all will find no quarter from me!"** The hero exclaimed, as he sprinted back at the Nomu. He launched a flurry of blows at the creature's chest, each creating a mini crater that slowly healed back.

"You fool, how many times do I have to tell you? Just punching him won't create any results, he'll just out heal your blows." Shigaraki replied with a laugh.

"I guess I'll just have to go beyond my normal strength… you know, there's a motto here at our school." All Might launched into a flurry of jabs and hooks, giving the Nomu no time to respond with its own attacks. He picked up speed, his movements becoming a blur as he launched more punches into the torso. He pulled his right arm back, then let it tear through the air in an uppercut with a triumphant yell of **"PLUS ULTRA!"**. The punch landed squarely in the Nomu's gut. The beast's beak flapped open as the air was knocked from its lungs, then it was launched skyward. It flew up towards the ceiling, never losing momentum as it soared through the glass panels shattered a massive hole in them.

"It's our job as heroes to go above and beyond." All Might paused, wiping his brow of sweat as glass shards ***tinked*** softly on the ground around him. A cloud of dust whipped up from the punch swirled around All Might's form. "Now who's next?"

Shigaraki took a step back, "Nononononono! This can't be happening. You cheated! You aren't any weaker, we were lied to… This is our loss." He wrung his hands out in frustration. Kurogiri put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't be so hasty, Shigaraki. Nomu did get to him: look at his arms and shoulders, his body has been torn into by those attacks. He's no doubt weary… we should press this moment while it still lasts." The other man started nodding his head more and more vigorously as he thought over what Kurogiri said.

"Yes, you're right. We'll tear you down from your status as the precious 'Symbol of Peace'!" He said as he ran towards All Might, hands outstretched, while Kurogiri's smokey form lanced towards the hero.

***BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG***

Six gunshots cracked through the air as bullets tore down towards the two villains. Two caught Shigaraki in his shoulders, while another bounced off Kurogiri's neck brace. At the top of the Entrance's stairs, stood a variety of costumed adults. Towards the center was a man wearing a red cape, cowboy hat, and gas mask who held a smoking gun. On their left was Present Mic, Midnight, and two other teachers. On their right was Cementoss, Vlad King, Ectoplasm, the Principal, and Tenya.

Kurogiri and Shigaraki jumped back, taking a moment to tenderly rub the places the bullets impacted. "It seems our time is up, Shigaraki," the former said while creating a portal beneath the two of them. They descended into the dark, with Shigaraki's words echoing as he screamed them to all present.

"We may have lost today, All Might. But this is just the beginning. We will be back to kill you, and expose you for the fraud you are!"

* * *

**? Bar**

Two figures collapsed out from a portal. Kurogiri's smokey form managed to stand, grasping onto a barstool nearby to leverage his way up off the floor. He turned to look at Shigaraki who merely continued to lay on the floor as blood oozed from the holes in his shoulders.

"Master…" croaked Tomura's voice as he faced the monitor at the end of the bar, "You were completely wrong. All Might hasn't lost a step. He's as strong as ever."

"I disagree," came the crackling voice from the screen as it flickered on. "I would say I was more so overly optimistic. Though now we know the cheap value behind a name such as the villain's alliance… How did the joint work of myself and our 'friend' fare? So, were you able to recover my Nomu?" Kurogiri spoke up, interjecting on the point.

"I'm afraid it is gone. All Might blew it away during the battle, and it would take far too long to warp around trying to find it without its precise coordinates." The air was tense at Shigaraki and Kurogiri waited for his reply.

"Well, it's no matter. It was given the strength and power to rival All Might… but I suppose experience must account for something." Shigaraki pulled himself up slightly, eyes wide and bloodshot.

"Speaking of strength and power to rival All Might… there was a student there… his quirk was unlike any I'd ever seen. It was as if he had the power to bend the world or himself around him to his will… If he hadn't been there, Nomu would've ground All Might into a fine pulp."

"**Enough**, Shigaraki," the voice forcefully spoke. "Today was not in vain, we learned valuable information about our allies and the enemy." It paused, taking on a more thoughtful tone, "We don't have the ability to freely move about, so we must take time before we strike next. Have patience, Shigaraki! Take the time you need to recover and handpick a new, more efficient team."

* * *

**USJ Exterior**

Following the arrival of the pros, the students had been ushered outside to be accounted for. While a police officer counted the number of students that had gathered outside, a mixture of police force members and heroes had gone back into the building to arrest the villains that had been rendered unconscious or captured. Several minutes passed of the villains filling out in handcuffs to waiting prisoner transports. As the line came to an end, the teachers emerged from the building assisting the transport of the wounded on gurneys. First was Aizawa, followed quickly by Thirteen. Finally All Might walked out, he held Izuku in his arms: one arm under his knees, the other around his upper back. He walked wordlessly by the class, following the gurneys and paramedics towards the UA nurse's office.

Ochaco, Tenya, Tsuyu, Mineta, and some other of the students moved to follow the hero but were stopped by an outstretched arm from one of the police officers. He spoke up to the class.

"I'm sorry to tell you all this, but for the time being, we have to ask that you refrain from following them. Until the condition of your friend and teachers is determined, it's best you all stay out of the professional's way." Upon seeing their crestfallen faces he continued, "As far as your homeroom teacher goes, it seems he had various fractures in both his arms and face, though it seems he has no lasting head trauma. Both Thirteen and All Might received what seemed to be mostly some fairly serious lacerations, though All Might seems to be faring better. Your classmate is stable as far as they can tell… Just give them some time, and they'll all be right as rain," he said, trying his best to give the class a smile.

* * *

**UA Nurse's Office**

All Might continued his mostly silent march across campus, occasionally trying to ask Izuku "Can you hear me" or "Are you holding up", only to receive deafening silence in return. As he approached Recovery Girl's Nurse's office, the door was already propped open. Upon looking inside, he found the elderly woman rushing back and forth prepping bandages, salves, and IV bags. She turned to see All Might enter through the door, and a look of both anger and relief seemed to pass over her face. She gestured towards one of the hospital beds that had its sheets pulled back, and All Might gingerly deposited Izuku on it. He then turned and quietly shut the door before returning to Izuku's side.

"I received a call explaining the situation from Nezu… I still can't believe that a group of villains infiltrated our campus." She walked around the bed, placing an IV on the stand next to it. She then waved All Might aside and used surgical scissors to cut Izuku's gym uniform top off, before peeling it back from his torso.

"For just one day, I'd like to not see him here. Though as far as I can tell, he seems like he might be better off than the other two…" Underneath, his chest was a patchwork of purple and black, with two specific spots on his lower left side appearing bone white. Upon closer inspection, the woman recoiled backward as she noticed that it _was_ bone from his rib cage that had torn through his skin. Blood continued to ooze from the wound. Her face turned white as a sheet as she set about applying pressure around the area while attempting to use gauze to soak up the blood.

"Good lord! At _least_ two of his ribs are fractured." She placed an ear over his mouth, looking down towards his chest. It seemed to rise partially before compressing again. "He's at least breathing… though it's labored. I'll need to x-ray to be sure, but it would seem several of his ribs are broken." She went over to a sink, then filled a basin with water and grabbed a clean white cloth. All Might sunk into the empty bed next to Izuku, the furniture creaking slightly under his weight.

"This is my fault… if I had just been stronger… or faster… the other teachers and students wouldn't have gotten hurt." He lamented as he held his head in his hands. Recovery Girl offered a small hum of ***mmhmm*** as she wiped away at the blood and bruises on Izuku's chest.

"Okay, it is your fault," She paused and looked across at All Might, "Does that make you feel better? Will that change anything that happened? No. Now get me clean water." She said while holding out the basin towards him. The hero shook his head, then grabbed the item and refilled it. As he handed it back to her, she eyed All Might up and down.

"How have you not shrunken back down again?" She said, pausing to stare intently at the hero. All Might took a second to look down at his own form, coming to that realization himself.

"I-I don't know." He pulled off his shirt, looking down at his chest, seeing only a patchwork of lacerations from the combat today, and not the spider-web like scar that had previously marred his body. Recovery Girl narrowed her eyes at the man, then threw the wet cloth to him.

"You're going to get X-rays too. Clean up your wounds while I take care of him." The two worked in relative silence, the only sounds of the room were the gently splashes of water and occasional groans from Izuku. As she finished wiping salve across the bruising on his chest, she began to wrap it in bandages. She seemed to press slightly too hard as she pulled the bandage tight across his back, causing Izuku to momentarily cough as his eyes fluttered open. All Might immediately went to the bedside, kneeling next to the younger man as he grasped his right hand. Recovery Girl stepped back, watching the two carefully to ensure Izuku made no sudden moves.

"Did you beat them," Izuku weakly whispered out, his eyes focused beyond All Might.

"Y-yes…" the older man whispered back as tears wet his cheeks. Izuku's eyes seemed to focus on All Might's face, and he frowned upon seeing his hero crying. He reached up with his hands shaking slightly as he pushed against the corner of his own mouth. Eventually the edges came up making a smile.

"Hey, a hero's supposed to always be smiling, right?" he weakly croaked out. His hands slipped down, and he placed them at the side of his bed. All Might's face became much more stoic as he wiped his tears away.

"Can you say that again?"

"A hero's supposed to be smiling?' Izuku questioned, his eyes losing their focus again. All Might squeezed his hand slightly.

"Where… where did you hear that?" he questioned of the younger man. Izuku's brow furrowed as he seemed to wrack his brain. His mouth flapped open and closed a few times.

"It was a dream maybe? There was this woman, with black hair pulled back into a pony-tail and such pretty grey eyes. She was hurt, badly. But she kept saying it'd be okay, and to just keep smiling." All Might let Izuku's hand slip out of his own, his eyes growing distant as he stared off at the wall remembering something.

"Toshi-Toshinori!" All Might shook his head, snapping out of his reverie. He looked to the side to see Recovery Girl holding more bandages, she pointed to Izuku who seemed to have fallen back asleep. The man shifted away from the bed, his brow furrowing as he thought of what his disciple said.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," she spoke up. "Do you know who he was talking about?"

* * *

"**?"**

Izuku once again found himself in the smoldering ruins of a city. This time, his dream seemed to have already reached its climax, the woman in her hero costume was pleading to her friends nearby to "go on without her" and reminding them that "A hero needs to smile no matter what!". A small smile crept across her lips as the other two figures seemed to give in and leave. Izuku approached the woman as her gaze seemed to grow distant, and she coughed up a small pool of blood. Izuku approached her while thinking, _"I wish I could help her… ease her suffering somehow…"_ As he got closer, he swore the woman's head moved slightly, her eyes gaining some color back as they seemed to follow him.

"W-who are you?" She croaked out. Izuku turned to look behind him, expect the dream or vision to show him something else. Upon seeing nothing else, Izuku turned back to the woman, then pointed at himself. The woman chuckled slightly before sputtering through another bloody coughing fit.

"Yes… I'm talking to you, curly top." She paused and took several labored breaths, "Y-You need to get away, He comes for you too." Izuku's eyes went wide, still shocked at the fact that this woman was interacting with her. He looked directly into her steel-grey eyes as he fumbled an attempt at questioning her.

"Who is 'He'?" The woman tried her best to raise an eyebrow, but her face winced in pain instead.

"The villain above villains? The terror of our society?" She asked, eliciting a shake of the head from Izuku. She tried again, "All for One?" Upon hearing the name, a chill ran down Izuku's spine. He looked around the area, recalling the man who had broken this woman's back in his past dreams.

"I-I'm not going to leave you by yourself here." Izuku managed to say as he suppressed his fear. The woman's lips curled up slightly into a smile.

"You know… you remind me of a young man I know. He always faced the world with a smile on his face. He's brave and fearless… he'll be one of the best heroes this world will ever see… I just hope I bought enough time for Toshinori..." Izuku sucked in his breath as his mind raced. He wasn't sure if he had stepped through time, or was living someone else's memory. Maybe this was all just a delusion his mind had conjured to cope with his pain. He sucked in his breath, resolving himself.

"Would you like to see him again?" He asked, holding a hand out to the woman.

* * *

**UA- Nurse's Office**

Izuku's bedside monitor continued to beep along, it's pace continuing the same rate it had been the last few hours. The readouts seemed to have normalized, his heart rate and brain activity holding stable as he continued to remain motionless in the bed. All Might was slumped over in a chair next to the younger man's bed, while Recovery Girl had taken the other bed in her office to get some much needed rest.

Suddenly, the heartbeat readout became much more erratic. The pace quickened, cause a high pitched whine to blare from the device. All Might shot up in his chair, wildly looking around the room, while Recovery Girl pulled the sheets down and hoped to the floor. She placed her glasses back on, and examined the device.

"Well that can't be right… His heart rate is doubled… it's almost as if another heart was beating off beat to his." She tapped the screen seeing if it was a visual glitch. Upon confirmation it was not, she began to go to the other side of the bed where she retrieved a defibrillator from the wall. She continued to monitor Izuku's heart rate while she let the device charge.

On the other side of the bed, All Might wearily rubbed at his eyes. They shot wide open as he looked at Izuku's hand. A flash of green was seen, as something seemed to grow off from his palm: it looked like a hand though it was bright yellow- upon a second look it was a glove- followed by a slender arm. All Might shot out of his chair as the rest of a person seemed to form out of thin air on top of Izuku: it was a young woman with jet black hair pulled into a bun. She was wearing a dark sleeveless bodysuit, which was soon obscured by a billowing white cape on her back. All Might fell to his knees, shaking some of the rooms equipment, as tears streamed down his cheeks. He reached out with a shaking hand towards the woman, afraid to see her face. He could only meekly utter a single word between gasping sobs.

"Nana?"


	13. Chapter 13

_Italics_ denotes an individual's thoughts

**Bold **denotes large time shifts/ or introductions of new settings; also may be used for emphasis

Line dividers denote a smaller scene or time shift

* * *

**Ch. 13 The Road to Recovery**

* * *

**UA- Nurse's Office**

Izuku's heart monitor had calmed back to a steady pulse again; however, both All Might and Recovery Girl had been thrown off by the sudden appearance of the woman on top of him. With shaking hands, All Might lifted the woman beneath her arms and deposited her on her back in the bed next to Izuku.

"That's impossible…" his voice managing only a hoarse whisper. He ran a hand through his blonde hair as he turned to Recovery Girl, "Y-you can see her too… right?" Nana walked over to the other bed's side taking a closer look at the woman: the new figure was covered in various lacerations, her face was a bloody mess and costume was torn and burned in several places. Recovery Girl looked back and forth between Toshinori and the woman.

"Should I know her?" She questioned, confused by the amount of emotion the man had expressed upon seeing her. She began to examine the new addition to the room as she waited for All Might's reply. He wiped the tears from his cheeks and took a deep breath to steady his voice.

"You might've seen her pass through here… a few decades back. She was my mentor, Nana Shimura. The person I received One for All from." All Might dropped back into the chair he had been sleeping in with a ***THUMP***.

"It can't be her though… It looks like her, even seems like she received the same sort of beating my mentor had when she took on All For One." All Might paused, sitting up in the chair. Recovery Girl continued to look over the woman, nodding slightly along with what the hero was saying.

"Regardless of who she is, she's severely beaten, several of her bones were broken, and by the looks of it lost- and is continuing to lose- copious amounts of blood. I'd be afraid that using my quirk to heal her would draw too much energy and kill her… what she needs is a hospital." Recovery Girl paused, looking at All Might then back at the woman. "If she even remotely seems like who you think she is, you should take her to the hospital and wait to see what they can do."

"But what about Young Mi-" All Might turned his head to look at the man.

"Now is not the time to think of him!" Recovery Girl exclaimed, "I can take care of the wounds he suffered here; and, I'm sure he'll understand if he woke up and you weren't the first person by his bedside. Now go, before she this woman ends up slipping into an even worse condition." All Might resigned himself and gave a small nod, he gingerly slipped an arm under the woman's back then another under her knees and sprinted out the door of the office.

* * *

**A Day Later**

Recovery Girl had been examining the X-rays she had taken of Izuku's ribs earlier in the morning and was mulling over how best to take care of his injuries. She had gone into emergency surgery slightly after dawn, using an operating room UA had established across from her office. The session had taken almost all day as she painstakingly tried to coax Izuku's ribs that punctured through his skin back into his chest cavity. She then set about trying to suture the tissue and skin above it. With those tasks out of the way, she took several X-rays of the young man's chest before having her medical staff help her maneuver him back into his hospital bed. She had then wiped down his body again and changed him out of the bandages before dismissing them. She continued to study the X-rays as she took a moment to relax, a quiet sound shaking her from her seat.

***knock, knock, knock***

The door slid slightly open as an incredibly distraught looking green-haired woman peeked her head in. She nervously looked around the room, before her eyes landed on Izuku at which point they brimmed with tears. She pushed the door wider as she walked into the room, revealing her fuller figure: she was wearing a white blouse that was covered by a pink sweater. Beneath that she had a dark blue skirt on. In between sobs, she managed to look over at Recovery Girl and get some words out.

"I'm so sorry for coming in unannounced and disrupting your work… But your school contacted me that my baby boy had been in an incident!" Inko managed to squeak out as the voice began to break into another set of sobs. Recovery Girl came over, placing an aged hand on her back as she guided Inko over to a seat next to Izuku's bed. She retrieved a box of tissues, handing them to the other woman before taking a seat herself.

"I'm so sorry you and your son are going through this dear… Your son's quick thinking and courage helped save not only some of his classmates, but his teacher as well." The elderly woman said as took Inko's hands into her own.

"Izuku always wanted to be a hero… ever since he was a child and first saw All Might in action. I-I-" She let another torrent of tears stream down her face before grabbing a tissue and blowing her nose. "I knew it was a possibility. But I never really thought when the opportunity actually came, he would end up hurt let alone hospitalized." She slipped one of her hands out of the older woman's grasp and grabbed one of Izuku's hands. She gave it a light squeeze as he continued to quietly sleep. The soft rise and fall of his chest seemed to be the only indication he was alive.

"Izuku honey… can you hear me? Mom's here now… everything will be okay." Inko cooed to her son as she brushed a few curls of hair across Izuku's forehead. He seemed to stir momentarily as his shoulders shifted slightly, causing Inko to lean in as hope flashed across her face. Just as quickly, he was still again, causing his mother to lean back and bite her lip as she fought more tears. Inko used her free hand to wipe away some of the tears as she turned back to Recovery Girl.

"Wh-what's wrong with him?" She managed to sniffle out as she blew her nose again.

"I've been able to work out what's physically wrong," Recovery Girl replied as she chooses her words carefully. "He has a… few broken bones. Alongside that was the bruising and cutting his chest had received. The latter is more superficial, and I've been administering some salves to help with the bruising. I'll likely use my healing quirk to try accelerating his external recovery… I don't want to address the bones until… well…" She paused, grasping Inko's hand in her own again.

"It seems that the shock of his injuries has put him in a coma. My hypothesis is that the strain he put himself through when fighting those villains sapped too much of his energy, so for the time being his body is forcing him to rest. I don't want to use my quirk to heal those bones, out of fear the strain it would put on his body would be too much" She paused, looking into Inko's eyes as she patted her hand. "Don't worry dear, he's young. He'll rebound and be back on his feet again soon." She turned and walked back to her desk, double-checking her charts on X-rays for Izuku.

"And it's not a bother to have you here at all. Please, feel free to stop by and see him when you wish!" Recovery Girl said as she offered a warm smile to Inko.

* * *

**The Next Day - Class 1A**

"Do you think we'll have a substitute?"

"I can't believe they only canceled classes for a day!"

"Has anyone been by to see Izuku?"

"The school seems pretty relaxed for having villains attack only two days ago."

1A's classroom was a hotbed of gossip as the students discussed their thoughts on the recent event they all experienced. As they continued to talk among one another, a figure eased the door open. They eased themselves to the front of the room before dropping a large stack of papers on the teacher's desk with an echoing ***SLAP***. The students turned from one another to look at the newcomer, shocked by the person's appearance.

"Morning…" He said lazily while letting out a yawn. He raised a completely bandaged hand to his face, which was also plastered in bandages, as he attempted to stifle it. In fact, the only parts of them not covered in bandages was his long black hair and black clothing.

"Mr. Aizawa! You're alright!" Exclaimed Tenya as he shot out of his chair. A look of concern crossed most of the students' faces, with Tenya voicing their thoughts, "Are you sure it's best for you to be here? Don't you need to recover?" The older man waved slowly with one of his bandaged limbs.

"Don't worry about me. Our trial with the villains is over, so we can take a moment to breathe." Some of the students seemed to slump down in their seats, as though a weight had been taken off their shoulders.

"**BUT**," Aizawa cut back into their thoughts, "That doesn't mean you can completely relax. Your trials here at UA aren't going to take a pause because... the Sports Festival is coming up." The room exploded back into chatter again upon hearing this. Amidst the murmurings, Kaminari spoke up, questioning Aizawa.

"Wouldn't a big event like that be something the villains would want to infiltrate too? How does the school know it will be okay to host something like that?" He asked, not attempting to hide the apprehension in his voice. Aizawa slightly inclined his head, as if to nod before answering.

"That's an excellent question. I've been told our campus will have a police presence that is five times more than the usual security for the event. The fact that the school is going through it means two things: the first being that UA believes we will have the security presence necessary to protect such an event, while the second would be that we think the villains were too crippled by their losses that they couldn't strike again if they wanted." He paused, waiting to see if anyone wanted to speak up in regards to that before adding, "Personally, I think it's an important move to make. If we don't hold the festival, it'll be as good as admitting we're afraid of this 'Villain's Alliance'."

"Now, as some of you may be aware, this will be an important event for your career as you train to be a hero here. UA's sports festival is like a mini-Olympics of sorts: you all will be competing with- and against- each other in various events to show off both what you've learned so far as well as your innate talents you possess. It isn't an exaggeration to say that your future will hinge on how well you show yourself off during this time: many pro-heroes and agencies will be watching you to see if you're someone worth scouting. You'll have a chance each year you're here at UA; but, typically the faster you can find a hero to intern with, the better off you'll be."

"If that's the case, then wouldn't it be best to wait for Izuku to recover before the festival is held?" Spoke up Momo. Aizawa seemed to regard her for a few moments before offering his reply.

"That's a very noble idea you have, but I'm sure even he would be aware that putting off an event like this for a single person isn't the best idea." He paused, offering a motion with his bandaged arms that mimicked a shrug, "And it's not like this will be happening tomorrow. He should have some time to get back on his feet before the big event kicks off." He stopped, his head inclining to study the pages on the desk for a moment before addressing the class again.

"That brings me to my next three topics: Your foundational heroics classes will be supervised by another staff member for the time being. All Might has taken some time off for a personal matter. Also, I've been informed that if you wish to stop by and see Midoriya, Recovery Girl will permit a few of you in the clinic at a time… Emphasis on the word **FEW**, please don't overwhelm her. Finally, Yaoyorozu: you'll be taking over as the class rep until Midoriya is back on his feet." Aizawa looked at his papers again, then around the room.

"Alright... That's all I've got, homeroom dismissed."

* * *

**Musutafu General Hospital**

All Might continued to pace outside the doorway, taking brief moments to stop in front of the door and hold a fist out to knock, only to stop himself and back off back into his cyclical pace again. He had changed out of his tattered suit from the UA incident: he now wore a roomy red hoodie- hood pulled up in an attempt to hide his face- emblazoned with the UA logo, along with a matching pair of pair dark grey sweatpants. The door swung inward, leading to the man eagerly walking towards the doctor that soon emerged from the room.

"We've done what we can on our part: we've given her a blood transfusion and braced her spine, it'll just be a matter of giving her time to rest at this point. If you didn't bring her here…" The woman paused to shudder at the thought, "I couldn't imagine how agonizing that would be to die like that…" She put a hand on All Might's shoulder, "You can go in and see her now if you want: just a heads up she probably won't be responsive still."

The hero gave the doctor a curt nod and expressed his thanks as she walked down the hall to the nurses' station. All Might steeled himself, then walked into the dark room. The curtains were drawn on the windows, blocking the early afternoon sun. The room was sparsely decorated: the floor was covered in a sterile white tile, while the walls were painted a soft green, dotted with splashes of color: like flowers poking through a meadow. The only soft glow of light within the room came from a small light above the hospital bed. As All Might looked about the room, he intentionally let his gaze skip across the person in the bed, trying to hold back as much as possible.

The mountain of a man slowly approached the bed, stopping to grab a small cushioned chair that he dragged over to the bedside. As he sunk into the seat, he dragged his gaze up from the floor back to the bed, finally looking again at the woman who lay in it. Her body was under a mountain of thick white sheets and blankets that gently rose and fell with her breathing, while her face seemed completely serene. A series of wires and tubes ran both across the woman's exposed arms, as well as from under the blankets, to the surrounding medical equipment that quietly beeped away in the background.

"I'm… afraid," All Might admitted to the woman as he watched her face. "At this point, I don't think I can consider this a dream or hallucination. But if this is real, I don't think I can take losing you again. You were like a mother to me… I was lost and distraught for so long after that day. I couldn't make heads or tails of what to do, my sole focus being revenge against All for One." He reached over and grasped her hand in his own as he bent his head over. He let several tears stream down his face as he sat in silence for her for a few minutes.

"But time helped me heal, to move on from vengeance and try to shape myself into someone the world could look to as a symbol of hope. I have so much I want to tell you: about my time in America after you told Gran and me to leave you. Or my own fight against All for One several years after you were gone. Or introduce you to my successor." He paused to wipe away some tears, "So much has happened in the time you've been gone, and I've done my best to try and make you proud… to do good by your sacrifice." He bowed his head again, simply listening to the small mechanical noises of the room's machinery.

* * *

**UA - Nurse's Office**

Classes had just ended for the day, and a small crowd had gathered outside Recovery Girl's clinic: a mixture of Class 1A's students, Setsuna, and Aizawa were milling around outside as they waited to be let in by Recovery Girl. Over the course of the next half hour, the group seemed to whittle down and wander off to whatever else the day held for them after they offered words of thanks for Izuku's help along with utterings of "get well soon". As the class filtered out, it was soon just Momo and Setsuna who remained in the room: the former had brought in a notebook with the words "Class 1A Battle Trial Notes" written neatly on the cover. The latter had her phone pulled open to trending news about heroes, with some newspapers of similar topics piled beneath the device. Upon seeing what each other had, they gave a small laugh and shared a knowing smile.

"I guess Izuku does really boil down to someone who loves heroes, huh?" Spoke up Setsuna, as she set her stack of items down on Izuku's bedside table.

"Yes, I suppose so," muttered Momo as she placed the notebook in her lap. "How have you been holding up?" She questioned of Setsuna. The other woman turned to her with a questioning look. Setsuna seemed to be taken aback as she pondered the question.

"I didn't really consider that… I'm of course worried about him. How could I not be? He seems to land himself in here every few days… but this time is different." She turned from Momo to look at Izuku's face. She smiled and ran a hand through his green curls before turning back to Momo.

"But at the same time, I just have a feeling he'll come through… you know? I don't think I've ever known someone as determined as him. I think I would've been more surprised if he went through that entire ordeal and didn't try to help stop the villains." Momo nodded along with what Setsuna as a small smile graced her lips.

"I think I know what you're saying. To be honest, when I first met him I thought he was just someone blindly chasing his dream, no matter the cost to him. I didn't think he would last a day in the hero course, let alone a week." She paused and let a small laugh ring out, "I'm glad that I couldn't have been more wrong. Although his self and quirk control seems abysmal, he more than makes up for that in his courage and ingenuity."

Her expression became slightly troubled before she spoke up again, "You're lucky to have him in your life, Setsuna..." Immediately, Momo's face flushed scarlet as she waved her hands in front of her. She started rapid firing off words as she continued to be flustered, "Not that I'm jealous of that or wish I was closer to him... He and I are the class representatives! I-I-" Her verbal barrage finally skidded to a halt as Setsuna let out a long laugh. She leaned in towards Momo as a wicked gleam flashed in her eyes.

"You like him… don't you?" Momo's face flushed a darker red, causing Setsuna to launch into another fit of laughter as she leaned back in her chair.

"I- Well- He is rather- Though I wouldn't say-" Momo took a shaky few breaths as she tried to calm herself down. She then coolly stated, "Why would that matter? You two are in a relationship, correct?" Setsuna narrowed her eyes at Momo as a smirk crossed her face.

"Well, to start: I guess that means I have good taste if other people are looking at Izzy like that. Plus," she said as she took a moment to lick her lips, "I'm not impartial to _sharing _him." Momo's face flushed bright red again at this. Setsuna continued nonchalantly, "Though that will be more so up to him."

"B-But _why_?" Momo stammered out, "From the few times I've seen you together, you seem so happy with each other?" Setsuna leaned back as she smiled.

"_That's_ why. I _feel_ like he truly loves me. Maybe that's all in my head and I'm just being blinded by how I feel." She smiled as she reached out and grabbed Izuku's hand giving it a small squeeze, "But in the time I've known him, it seems like he really loves and respects me. If he wants to try a relationship with someone else and share his love with other people… I won't stand in his way. I don't think he'll love me any less if he's also loving someone else."

Momo cleared her throat as she composed herself. "Well… I thank you for your… 'offer'. I-I'll have to examine my own feelings more before I proceed further." She shifted slightly in her seat as the two settled into an uncomfortable silence. Momo's hands fiddled with the notebook she had brought, drawing Setsuna's attention to it.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. How have you been holding up since the villain's attack? I mean, unlike me, you were actually there." Setsuna questioned as she gave a wry smile to the other woman.

"Part of me was terrified… and angry," Momo said as she wrung her hands out. She elaborated with more anger dripping into her tone, "We've just barely started our time as students here, and with barely any experience we had to go up against actual villains… though for the most part they seemed rather mediocre. UA promised us safety while they educated us, and twice now that safety has been breached." She paused to take a few breaths and let her anger lapse.

"Another part of me is almost grateful, I suppose? Preparing to fight villains and learn how to use our quirks to help others is why we're here, right?" Setsuna gave a smile and shrug as Momo continued, "So if anything, it could also be considered field experience…" Momo shifted in her chair as she crossed her legs.

"To be honest, I'm actually pretty jealous of your class," Setsuna said as her gaze dropped to the floor. "You get All Might to teach you heroics… you get actual heroics experience… it's a world of difference from the boring day-to-day grind my class has had." Her gaze came back up, eyebrows shooting up while she waved her hands in front of her, "Don't get me wrong! It's not like I _want_ to be attacked by villains… it'd just be nice to have a bit more excitement." She then turned to look at Izuku again, "Though maybe not that much…"

"Well, we do have the Sports Festival coming up," interjected Momo. "I'm sure there will be plenty of exciting events then, between the pro hero turnout and all the classes competing with one another." Setsuna's expression lightened slightly as she smiled.

"Yeah, I guess you're right! Hopefully Izzy wakes up from his nap before that," she replied with a wry smile. "So… what's up with the notebook? I can sorta guess from the writing on the front…"

"Ah, I have heard before that when someone is in a state such as he is that you're still able to hear and your brain can process the information to a degree… I promised I'd go over what happened during the mock battles with Izuku, but an opportunity for it never came up. So I thought I'd try to read some notes I made to him…" Momo paused and held the notebook in front of her face as it was dusted pink, "It's probably a silly idea, I'll just leave it for him to read." She began to stand up from her chair before Setsuna leaned over and held an arm out.

"Nonsense! I'm sure he'd _love_ to hear another familiar voice." Setsuna said as she grinned ear to ear. Momo bit her lip as she looked at the door, then back at the peacefully resting man. She sighed and sat back into her chair. "Do you mind if I stay here while you read? I promise I won't steal your class's secrets for my own," Setsuna said with a wink. Momo shook her head side to side, then grabbed the notebook and flipped open to the first page. She cleared her throat, glancing from the page to Izuku then Setsuna, then back at the page.

"Heroic Fundamentals Battle Trial Two. The Heroes: Shoji and Shino versus The Villains: Ojiro and Toru. Shoji is able to make various things out of his many arms, in this case, he created multiple ears to nearly immediately locate the exact location of the opposing group. The Hero team then-"

"Uggghhhh…" Setsuna let slip from her mouth as she slumped down in her chair. Momo lowered the notebook and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Excuse me? Is something the matter?"

"Sorry! … it's just so boring… like something you'd read out of an encyclopedia. If Izuku woke up right now, your delivery would just put him back to sleep! You've got to spice it up a little."

"Spice it… up?"

"Yeah yeah yeah." Setsuna shot back up in the chair, as she used her quirk to detach her hands and float them towards the notebook, "Gimme, gimme. I'll show you how it's done." Momo let out a small ***huff*** then turned the book and placed it into Setsuna's outstretched hands. They grasped the book's edge, then whipped back and attached to her wrists. She looked intently at the pages, flipping through a few more as she poured over the contents. She snapped it closed and closed her eyes. She nodded a few times then snapped her eyes back open.

"Got it!" She cleared her throat with a loud ***AHEM*** before projecting her voice, "This is the tale of the absolute victory of the heroes, Shino and Shoji, over the dastardly villains, Ojiro and Toru. The brave heroes had no idea what faced them inside for the tailed menace and the invisible fiend. The ever stoic Shoji scouted out the villain's lair by using his limbs to create a hearing network. As he attempted to cross the threshold, his partner Shoto stopped him before letting her powers flare to life: immediately, the building was frozen solid. With that, she strolled directly into the heart of the villains' operation and claimed victory by herself." Setsuna paused and looked over at Momo whose hands were stifling a laugh.

"See, make it into a story! It's more entertaining that way, yeah?" She looked down at the notebook, then flipped through a few pages before handing it back to the other woman. "Now it's your turn. Focus on a few important details, then embellish the rest." Momo looked from Setsuna down to the page, then skimmed the section occasionally looking up.

"This is the epic of the heroic victory of Mina and Tokoyami over the villainous Kirishima and Tsuyu: Our two heroes began their trek through their building, with the shadow beast controller- Tokoyami- scouting ahead for the group. Upon finding the floor upon which the weapon was located, our two heroes proceeded back to the prior floor. There, Mina used her acidic powers to melt the floor beneath the device, causing it to plummet towards the two. All would've been lost for the villains if not for Tsuyu's quick thinking: she wrapped her tongue around the device, and flung it back through the hole in the floor back into their lair." Momo then paused and furrowed her brows as she looked at Setsuna. Setsuna on the other hand had put her cheeks in her hands while her elbows were propped on the edge of the bed.

"Are you sure this is a better way to do this? This seems rather… silly." Momo apprehensively asked. Setsuna grinned as she lifted her head slightly and shook it.

"Not at all! Keep going!" Momo sighed then looked back over the notebook pages again.

"Where was I… ah- From the hole between the floors, Kirishima dropped down and approached the pair. Tokoyami and he squared up: the former summoning the shadowy familiar from beneath his cloak, while the latter hardened his arms and fists. The two began to clash with mighty blows: Tokoyami possessing far greater speed compared to Kirishima whose specialty seemed to be resistance." Momo began to get more into the story, her reading being inter-spliced with movements to accent the action.

"With the two of them busy, Mina took the opportunity to run back to the upper floor to try to secure the weapon. Upon reaching the landing she approached the weapon which was lying in the open, Tsuyu nowhere to be seen. Suddenly! She was struck by a blow from above. Tsuyu had used her climbing abilities to crawl on the ceiling, allowing her to ambush Mina. Mina reacted rapidly, using her acid quirk to skate across the floor! Like a graceful skater, she slid across the floor, ducking behind pillars as needed to dodge Tsuyu's leaping kicks and tongue lashes. As Mina was about to reach the bomb, Tsuyu's tongue wrapped around her and whipped her back. A moment later Mina had been captured, but to Tsuyu's shock, the battle ended as All Might called out the heroes' victory! Tokoyami had taken out Kirishima, then snuck up through the hole in the ground to capture the explosive device!" Mom finished with a triumphant cry. Her face dusted a light pink as she realized how wrapped up in the story she had become.

"Forgive me… that was unbecoming of me." She asked of Setsuna while inclining her head slightly. Setsuna looked at her with an incredulous expression.

"What? I don't care about that. If anything, you looked like you were having fun." Setsuna flashed her a smile, "You don't have to act like you're at some fancy Gala or something. Just… relax!" She exclaimed as she slumped into her chair and let her limbs hang. Momo nodded as she watched Setsuna sprawl out on the piece of furniture.

"I'm not quite sure if I'd be able to relax like that, but I'll give it a try sometime." Momo looked at Izuku, then her face lit up as she turned back to Setsuna. "Setsuna, excuse me if this is presumptuous of me… but would you be willing to be my friend? I've had more of a… sheltered existence growing up under my parents. It would be nice to get to know someone outside of my family's social circles." Setsuna looked at Momo with a raised eyebrow before letting out a boisterous laugh, causing the other woman's face to flush beet red.

"Yeah, sorry for laughing, I just wasn't expecting you to be so serious about that." She wiped a few tears from the corner of her eyes as she let out a few more laughs, "I figured with all our chatting today, we were already friends." The two smiled at each other, Momo now calmed down from her previous embarrassment. As they sat with each other, a clock within the room began to chime, the reverberating tones indicating it was now six in the evening. Setsuna offered a hand, taking the notebook from Momo before setting it on Izuku's bedside table.

"I guess it's time to head out, we shouldn't keep Recovery Girl or any of her staff any longer than we have…" Setsuna managed to say between yawns as she stretched out of her chair.

"I suppose you're correct… Thank you again for your company, Setsuna." Momo said as she rose in suit. Both of the women walked to the door, stopping by the desk Recovery Girl was working at to offer their thanks for allowing them to stay for so long. With that, the room returned to a relative quiet, the only sounds in the room being the occasional scratches of a pen on paper from Recovery Girl and the cold metallic hum of the machines attached to Izuku.

* * *

**The Following Day- Musutafu General Hospital**

To say All Might had been troubled over the past two days would be an understatement. On one hand, his mentor and mother-figure seemed to have returned from the dead and his health problems seemed to have miraculously improved. On the other hand, both his mentor and his own pupil were comatose. All Might continued his walk through the hospital, flowers in hand, as he ran through the start of his day again:

* * *

_Earlier in the morning, the hero had stopped by Recovery Girl's clinic for two purposes: to check up on Izuku and to have her check his physical condition. At first, she had been confused upon performing his X-Ray. This rapidly devolved into her being more and more baffled all the while muttering, "It goes against everything I know about medicine," as she forced the hero to undergo a CAT scan followed by an MRI._

"_Toshinori… I just wanted to clarify," she slowly prodded as she checked the imaging files on her computer, "You haven't reverted at all to your true form, or felt any of your typical abdominal pain these last few days, correct?" She turned from the screen, regarding the large man with an incredibly serious glare. He shifted slightly in his seat as he reflected on the last two days._

"_Not that I'm aware of… No. I haven't felt this great since before my… incident." The older woman nodded sagely upon hearing this. She turned and tapped the computer screen with the side of a pen._

"_You've probably noticed by now, your external injury where that nasty wound originally was isn't visible anymore. Based on your what you've told me, along with what I've seen myself, I'd conclude that debilitating injury you had doesn't even exist." She faced the computer's screen, bringing up an array of images._

"_Like here, for example. Comparing the imagining you had done following your surgery on your stomach and respiratory system: we had to remove the majority of your stomach, while your lungs were almost completely crushed and crippled. When you look at this other image, from today, it's a completely different story: your whole stomach is still intact, and your lungs look as healthy as the day you were born." Recovery Girl leaned back in her chair and folded her hands on her lap._

"_I don't know what to even call this. A miracle? An act of God? Some insane healing quirk?" She sighed as she looked at the large man opposite to her, "It's like you'd never been hurt in the first place. If I had to guess… I'd say that young _man _over there somehow did this for you." She said, gesturing towards Izuku. _

* * *

Toshinori attempted to focus himself as he approached Nana's hospital room, his mind quickly panicking as he heard voices coming from the other side of the doorway. He pensively stuck his head into the room, noticing the doctor that was administering Nana's care was next to her bed, blocking his view of it. He tensed up slightly, then choose to knock on the room's door, causing the doctor to straighten up and turn to face him. She flashed All Might a smile as he proceeded into the room.

"I'll give you two a few minutes… I'm sure you would like to talk a bit," she said as she walked by the hero. He turned to face the doctor, his question not even able to form as he heard another voice in the room.

"So you're the hero who brought me here." A feminine voice came up from behind Toshinori. A series of sharp coughs cut through the air as he turned to face the bed again. He had to stop himself from dropping the flowers and rushing to the bedside as he looked at the woman who now sat up in the bed, propped onto several pillows behind her. Her jet black hair hung down to her shoulders, shining slightly in the midday sun. Her grey eyes radiated warmth as they looked upon him.

All Might approached the bedside, placing the flowers gently down on the table next to her bed. His mouth flapped open and closed as he floundered with his words. Unsure of what to say, he settled on leaning in and gently embracing the woman as best as he could.

"Oh, uh… you're a hugger." She reached out and patted him a bit on his back. After several seconds more, he backed out of the embrace. He tried to look over the woman, though his vision appeared incredibly blurry. Unsure of what was happening, he raised a hand and wiped his eyes, fresh tears sticking to his hands.

"You alright there big guy?" She questioned, leaning forward slightly as she looked over Toshinori. He finally found his voice, speaking up.

"Y-yeah. How are you feeling? Everything okay so far?" The woman's smile faltered slightly. She seemed to struggle for a few minutes, trying to voice an idea, before stopping and trying again. Finally, she managed to force the words out.

"I-I'm feeling much better than I was earlier. These docs and their recovery and healing quirks really helped me get back into shape!" She said, flexing an arm. She paused in thought before continuing slightly quieter, "Though I can still feel the echoes of that pain in my body… and my back still has more time to take before it can fully heal." She sat in silence for a few moments, looking at her hands as she fiddled with her thumbs. Suddenly, she shot up and turned with wide eyes to Toshinori.

"Say, you didn't happen to run into a guy about my age, in an orange and white costume? Or a young kid with this wild blonde hair… almost like yours…" She trailed off as she narrowed her eyes and stared intensely at him. All Might shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, feeling like a child that was being questioned by its parent for doing something wrong, before carefully choosing his words to address her questions. He reached out, and gently grasped one of her hands.

"Nana… it's me. Toshinori? Your young pupil you passed One for All to. I studied under you and Sorahiko?" He paused, seeing if there was any change in her demeanor. Her gaze seemed to suddenly become foggy and distant. All Might bit his lip as he grasped the woman by her shoulders and shook her slightly. As her attention returned to the room, she looked the man up and down several times, before reaching out with a shaking hand to touch him.

"T-To-Toshi? I-is that really you? H-How are you so big… so much older?" He let go of her hand and wrapped her in a slightly tighter embrace than their previous one. He could feel tears staining his shirt as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"The last thing I remember was fighting All for One…" her body went rigid in his arms, fear creeping into her voice as she relived the encounter in her mind. "I thought I told you are Sorahiko to leave me… how did you get me here?" She asked pensively. He tensed up slightly as his mind rushed to find the best way to describe the circumstances to her.

"Nana… there's something you need to understand. It's been _decades_ since you fought against All for One. When Sorahiko took me away from that battle, we thought you had died fighting him." He watched her face as she processed the information. She seemed mostly calm until she broke down into rapid, small breaths.

"Th-that can't be. I was just fighting him the other day, up until the moment he broke my back and I started to pass out…" She looked away, her eyes dancing around the room before returning to him. "Y-You don't mean that was a _lifetime_ ago? Right? This is just some joke between you and Sorah-" Toshinori shook his head with increasing fervor, then leaned in and pulled her into another crushing hug.

"No. Nonononono. I wouldn't even dream of joking about something like that. I- we- that day was a loss… for all of us. As far as the two of us knew, you were dead. Then he sent me to America to hide from All for One and train. I didn't return for several years until I had mastered the quirk and was ready to take him on… and avenge you." He could feel his eyes water again as he tried to fight back another wave of sobs. "Nana, the world moved on without you… I had to move on without you. But I never forgot you. I'd been dreaming of a moment to tell you everything I had done… to let you know I had tried to step up and watch over the world in your place." He leaned back, wiping away his tears again as he smiled at her.

"Do you remember anything else from that day?" Her face seemed to be a mixture of shock and thought as she struggled with everything she had been told.

"Um, uh yeah… there was this guy… with a messy green mop of hair. He said he wasn't going to leave me there… then he held out a hand, which I took and… here I am I guess?"

* * *

**UA- Nurse's Office**

Recovery Girl had poured over the images she had of All Might, once more this morning. She hoped that once he left, some more coffee and a fresh look might reveal something she missed. She was so focused on pouring over every minute detail of the imaging, she missed the creaking of the clinic's bed as its occupant shifted onto his side. When a voice rose above the din of the machines, she nearly dropped her coffee as she turned to find it's source.

"H-hello?" was all Izuku's voice managed to weakly croak out. He sat up in bed, eyes squinting so hard that they nearly appeared closed. His head shakily snapped back and forth, as he let out another timid, "Hello?"

Fear crept into his voice, "Is anyone there? Where am I? It's so dark..."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Howdy folks, thanks for coming to read again.

We have a growing community on Discord at /xFuDyVM if you'd like to join!  
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I do not own the original work this is based upon. Please do what you can to support the Official Releases.


	14. Chapter 14

_Italics_ denotes an individual's thoughts

**Bold **denotes large time shifts/ or introductions of new settings; also may be used for emphasis

Line dividers denote a smaller scene or time shift

* * *

****Ch. 14 - Resurrection****

* * *

**UA- Nurse's Office**

"Thirteen! And Aizawa sensei!" The young man exclaimed as loudly as he could manage in a raspy voice while looking around the nearly empty room. He blinked as he tried to make sense of the room around him; it was incredibly dark, his eyes barely able to make out muted, dull shapes within the oppressive darkness. He looked down into his lap, unable to make out the shapes of his hands, arms, and legs that he could feel was underneath a sea of sheets. As he continued to stare at his lap, attempting to regain his bearings, he became more aware of the pain that wracked his chest as he continued to breathe along with the itchiness of the sheets and clothes on his skin.

Suddenly, Izuku became aware of another creeping itch in his skin, but this was more focused than a mere discomfort, coming from his forearms. He turned his head slowly, panic setting in as he still couldn't make out any discernable shape in his dark environment. He momentarily placed his thoughts of the irritants on his arms aside as he reached up with shaking hands to try grasping at anything that might be obstructing his eyes or face. The pads of his fingers and palms shakily brushed along his forehead, then swept down and around his eyes… and found nothing but his skin. Izuku tried to blink rapidly in an attempt to bring clarity to his muddled sight but only succeeded in beginning to hyperventilate instead when nothing happened.

The sharp beeping of a nearby object cut him out of his panic, attracting his attention to his right and slightly behind him. His twisting once again made him cognizant of his arms, as something on them restricted his movement. His breath picked up in pace once again and the beeping from the machine quickened as he reached over with his left arm to grasp at the right. A few seconds later he found cables, tubes, or wires of some kind tapped to his arm in the crook between his forearm and bicep. His breathing became much more rapid and shallow as he grasped weakly at the chords and followed them back to something… a cool metal object that as he listened closely seemed to be the machine generating that fluctuating sound. He ran his fingers slowly back along another cable, this one connecting to something squishy like it was filled with a liquid.

His breath was still coming rapidly and shallow as he tried to make sense of what had happened and where he was. Izuku pulled himself to a sitting position and raised his trembling arms once again. He tried to move them in front of his face, then further away. Seeing almost no discernible change in his sight besides his surroundings becoming slightly darker as his hands touched his face. His breath once again became frantic as he now closed his eyes and pushed the rough pads of his fingers on and around his eyelids in an attempt to wipe whatever was obstructing his sight away. The shrill whine of the machine near his side made his attempts more frantic as he continued, growing more and more distraught.

"Midoriya!" Freezing with his hands pressed against his head, Izuku wearily turned his head to the voice's source trying to find its owner. He dropped his hands and reached outwards with his quivering left arm until he felt a small withered hand gently grab the tips of his fingers.

"Midoriya, do you know who I am?" A familiar elderly woman's voice asked of Izuku. He could feel his breathing stabilize as he leaned towards the source of the voice. He narrowed his eyes to a squint as he tried to look in the woman's direction, his eyebrow knitting as the black void he saw seemed to give way to the general shape of a smallish gray blob. Izuku slowly clasped the individual's hand with his own as he felt his body tremble.

"Wh-what's going on? Why can't I see you?" He was able to squeak out his question, unable to keep the fear from his voice as he suspected he knew the answer. There was a small sigh from the person next to him as they seemed to lower themself into a chair near him. She patted his left hand a few times before grasping it with both of his. The act was simultaneously bringing some degree of comfort and worry to Izuku.

"Hmmmm…" She mused as they sat for a few seconds in silence, while Izuku's fear began to bubble up as rage at her refusal to speak to him. As he was about to shout at the woman, she cleared her throat and spoke up again, "Young Midoriya, I'm Recovery Girl. You're currently in my office following your…" she paused trying to find a word, "... injuries." Izuku could feel some degree of relief wash over him as he leaned back slightly in the bed he was in.

"I-" he reached up and ran a hand across his face wiping away some of the tears that had begun to drench his cheeks. He took a few shaky breaths, "I'm blind… aren't I," he said while he turned his head to the place he approximated the nurse was. He bit down on his lower lip as he felt his tears flow freely down his cheeks. The older woman gave his hand a light squeeze and took a deep breath.

"I'm not quite sure about that…" she began, with the hesitance in her voice coming through nearly clearly to Izuku, "There are tests we can do for this sort of thing, though I'm no optometrist…" He felt her withered hand leave his a moment later. She paused leaving a deafening silence between the two, the only sound reaching Izuku was what he guessed was a heart monitor along with a small _swishing_ sound in front of him. Finally, Recovery Girl spoke up again.

"I'll be honest. This doesn't look too promising." She gave a small click of her tongue as the steady click of what he guessed was a pen bouncing against the chair or a clipboard reached his ears. "I tried shining a small light in your eyes. Followed by moving my pen back and forth in front of your face, and neither seemed to get a reaction out of you. It's best not to assume the worst… but we should plan for it. I'm sure there is someone out there with a quirk that could heal this, but this is bey-" She continued on, Izuku feeling himself zone out as a chill swept his body.

"What about your quirk? Couldn't you heal this? It's just another injury, right?!" He rapidly questioned her.

"I'm afraid it's outside of wha-" She began before Izuku cut her off once again.

"But your quirk heals people, maybe it can-"

"NO!" the elderly nurse quickly shouted back. Izuku recoiled slightly as he felt his tears pause. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to yell… it's just that your body has been through such tremendous stress so far." She lightly placed a hand on his chest, "You had several broken ribs, on top of you seemingly being in a coma. For the time being, I want you to recover with your own strength, as I'm afraid me using my quirk will lead to your body killing itself from the whiplash." Izuku felt the heat drain from his head as his face blanched. He slowly leaned back into the hospital bed as he suddenly felt incredibly tired.

"I feel- it's-" he gave a tired sigh as he wiped away a few more tears, "It's a lot to take in right now. Would you mind just letting me rest for a bit longer?"

"Ah… of course my dear. If you need anything, just feel free to call out."

* * *

**Several Hours Later**

"Easy now… Just relax for now. How are you feeling?" Recovery Girl questioned Izuku, while a pen bounced off the edge of the clipboard she held. Izuku opened and closed his mouth a few times as he squeaked out a few syllables. His brow furrowed as he rubbed at his throat with his left hand. He nearly leaped from the bed as he felt a small hand touch his shoulder, turning to remember that Recovery Girl was beside him. She gingerly spoke up saying "here, something for your throat," her hands guiding him to a small glass. He took it with a nod and a small smile before gingerly bringing it to his face and sipping at the cold water within.

"I'm… tired. And really sore." He croaked out in a gravelly voice. "Just trying to move feels like wading through mud… it's just-" Izuku stopped as he felt a shiver run down his spine. His legs and feet suddenly felt very wet and sticky. He wrinkled his nose as he moved his right leg slightly, the small movement requiring more effort as it seemed to stick to the sheets. Recovery Girl gave a slight gasp and peeled the sheet away from Izuku to the foot of the bed: the lower half of the sterile sheet was damp and colored a rich brown, with the smell of earth filling the air. Covering Izuku's calves and feet was a layer of still damp mud that clung to both the boy's skin and the sheets.

"W-would you mind repeating what you just said for me again?" She stammered out the elderly nurse as she stared incredulously at the foreign substance in the hospital bed. She stood up from the stool, walking over to a cupboard from which she retrieved a towel. Upon withdrawing it, she brought it back over and wiped some of the grime away from Izuku's leg, confirming its presence. Izuku himself reached down to touch the mud caking his legs, the cool and damp sensations of it brushing against his fingers confirming to himself that it was in fact real. Upon hearing Recovery Girl ask him again to repeat himself, he snapped himself away from the odd scene to look towards the elderly woman's direction.

"Ah, I was saying I was tired?" He paused to let out a yawn as his eyes drooped slightly. They fluttered back open as he tried to continue, "...And that I'm so sore that moving feels like walking through mud-" At this, another shiver ran down his spine as he felt that damp and cold tingle across his legs. The two turned to face back, the nurse seeing that the area she had wiped with the towel was now coated with mud like the rest of his legs. Izuku leaned forward, wincing as some linger pains emanated from his chest as he ran his fingertips along the sticky material that coated his lower body.

"Wha- How?" Izuku once again furrowed his brow as his mind tried to piece together what was occuring. He leaned forward, helping the older woman wipe the grime from his body and the sheets. Once that was done she helped him swivel in the bed so that he was sitting on its edge.

"I have some theories, my dear. But I'd rather not test them right now. For now, we'll just do some basic tests." She began by asking him to wiggle his fingers and toes. Then roll his ankles and wrists. Followed by him swinging his legs then bending and stretching his arms. Several notes later, she took out a small pen-flashlight and tongue depressor: she asked the young man to follow the piece of wood back and forth as she examined his eyes. The object moved back and forth, while the flashlight illuminated his eyes. His bright emerald green irises now looked a shade of almost grey or milky white. Small flecks of green could barely be still seen within them. The scratch of the pen on paper rose to Izuku's ears as he was oblivious to any movement of the light or wood even occurring. With a small "hmm" she continued onwards by taking his heart rate, blood pressure, and his breathing rhythm. She looked over the information from the tests while he swayed slightly in his seat.

"Well… I'd say you _seem_ fine… or as fine as one can be coming out of a broken set of ribs and coma." She pulled a set of X-rays out of a rather large manila folder labeled with Izuku's name. She began explaining as she pointed out various parts of the images, more for herself to keep track of rather than to show him.

"Your little tussle with the villains that infiltrated campus left you with several broken ribs, as well as a few open fractures from them. I was able to… ease them back to where they belong and close the wounds. It's more a matter of time to allow them to heal at this point." She examined the charts of the recent tests while letting Izuku take in the information.

"Your blood pressure and heart rate seem to be good. Your breathing is more shallow than normal, but that's to be expected while your ribs heal. From what I can tell, there is some sort of major eye damage you've suffered from either the fight or just general brain trauma from your coma." She continued to watch him as he sat in silence, soaking in the information she gave him. After a moment, he nodded as he quietly asked.

"How is Thirteen? And Aizawa sensei? And All Might? Or the rest of the cla-" He paused to wheeze, covering his mouth as his lungs fought against him. Recovery Girl gave him a few pats on the back.

"Goodness, one would think after everything I told you that you'd be worrying over your own condition… your teachers will be fine. I was contacted by one of the investigators who visited them in the hospital. Thirteen is recovering, while your homeroom teacher has already returned to the campus." Upon hearing this Izuku relaxed slightly, slumping down slightly as fatigue set back in. His eyes went wide and he began leaning forward as he attempted to stand.

"Wait… How long have I been out? I need to get to classes! I need to make sure-" His legs shook as he stood from the bed, teetering on his feet for a step before he began to crumble. Recovery Girl moved as fast as she could manage, trying to guide Izuku's fall back onto the bed. He hissed in pain as his lower back slammed into the edge of the bed, stopping himself from falling into a heap on the floor.

"What did I tell you?! You need to take it slow. Your body may not be in a critical condition, but you've been doing nothing for the last several days. You need to regain some of your strength. I swear… between you and your mentor, I have no idea which of you cares less about your own safety." Izuku nodded, muttering a quiet apology as he eased back into a reclining position in the bed.

"Wait, you never answered: how's All Might?" He questioned as Recovery Girl turned away. She continued to shuffle across the room as she answered.

"By the looks of it, fantastic. I can't quite make heads or tails of why, but you'll see what I mean soon enough. He will likely stop by again today. Now, I'm going to make a call or two dear, if you need anything don't be afraid to holler."

* * *

**The Next Day**

Izuku was unsure how long he had been asleep. When he woke, he felt renewed, newfound energy surging through his body as he stretched within the hospital bed. After a few moments, mentally fighting on whether he should try walking on his own again, he called out for Recovery Girl, the older woman quickly coming to the bedside. As she approached, he nervously asked her for her assistance.

"I don't want to be more of a bother than I already have been… but is there a way you can help me stand and try to walk?" She smiled at his question and asked him to wait a moment. She disappeared on the other side of the curtain and came back a moment later with a basic metal walker. She unfolded the item next to the bed, then went again to the bedside as she helped guide Izuku's hands to grab onto it. He grasped the cold, smooth metal handles then pushed down on them as he stood from the bed. His legs shook beneath him, yet his balance held as the device kept him upright. He tentatively raised his left leg, only moving it centimeters before it fell back to the floor and threw him off balance. He cursed as he lurched heavily to his left before using the walker to stop and right himself. Izuku then lifted his right foot, straining to move his leg further. As he dropped it back down, he lurched heavily to his right, nearly toppling over. The older woman helped him ease back to the edge of the bed as Izuku breathed heavily.

"Easy young Midoriya. There's no need to rush we can take all the time we need to ge-"

"I know!" He snapped at Recovery Girl interrupting her, shocking both her and him with the amount of animosity that crept into his voice. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get angry…" She nodded in turn as she pulled the walker away, folding it back up and leaning it against a nearby chair. He took a few breaths, eyes dancing back and forth between his hands as he tried to put his thoughts into words.

"I'm just tired of always getting hurt because I don't know the limits of my powers," he said, as another wave of fatigue washed over him. "And now here I am in your infirmary again, struggling to even walk, probably blind for the rest of my life," he nearly shouted as he slammed fists into the bedsheets.

The older woman turned to him, a sad smile gracing her face, "Being a hero isn't easy: I'm sure you've either heard that from any number of pros or learned that yourself by now. Sometimes we need to learn when it's our turn to sit back and recover." Izuku knew in his mind that she was right. He agreed with her, yet as he sat on the bed, his body shook with anger. He held his balled fists up to his eyes as he let out a long exasperated sigh before speaking up again.

"I know, I know… it's just, I want to be back out there with the other students trying my best to prepare to be a hero. These last few weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster: meeting All Might, learning I had a quirk, getting a girlfriend, coming to UA… It's all I could've ever wanted. Yet is it okay for me to ask for more?" He dropped his hands, tears streaming down his cheeks as he looked at her. "Sometimes I think this power is a curse, every time I think I've gotten control of it, it just slips away from me. Something changes." He paused as he wiped at his nose, while the elderly woman now sitting beside him replied.

"I don't think it's wrong to ask for a more straightforward life. To ask for things to be easier. But these challenges, these difficulties are also a part of life we have to deal with. Learning how to ask others to help us, and even sometimes overcome these difficulties by ourselves if necessary. All of it helps us to be better than the person we are now." She stopped to offer him a tissue.

"Thanks… you've given me something to think about," he said in turn to her. She stood and offered him a gentle smile before she turned and began to walk back around the bed.

"There's just a part of me that sometimes thinks… or wishes… 'Maybe if I could just say how I wanted to use my power, it would be that cut and dry. No accidents. No injuries. Just total control of what I wanted to do by talking.'… if it was just as easy as saying, 'my muscles are fine, I'll just stand up and walk out of here'..." He said, his voice trailing off into a hoarse whisper. As he sat staring off at the wall across from him, eyes foggy and distant, a jolt of electricity shot through his body. His legs seemed to tingle, before giving way to a spread of white-hot pain that quickly subsided. With barely a second thought, Izuku almost robotically lowered his feet back to the floor, then slowly and gently stood up from the bed.

"What are you doing?!" Cried Recovery Girl as she noticed the movement, hurrying over on her cane to her patient's side. Her approach began to slow as she noticed Izuku move from supporting himself by his arms, to freestanding. He took a smooth step forward, the shaking and hesitation from before completely gone. Then another. He took another, just as natural as the first, before running a hand through his hair.

"See? I just said something and suddenly..." he muttered as he turned and reached out grasping for the edge of the bed, body slumping as he collapsed back onto it and put his face in his hands.

"I had a theory that I thought might be better to wait until mentioning until I had more to go off of, or until All Might was here to potentially discuss…" Recovery Girl trailed off as she stood at the foot of the bed. "You're aware that quirks are able to mutate?" Izuku gave a few nods as he sat on the bed.

"Considering what I've seen from the government's quirk registry, along with what I've seen of your quirk in the entrance exam, my understanding is that your ability is something akin to reality manipulation?" She waited for a correction, continuing after receiving none. "Now, I would wager that based on your past visits here, your usage of your quirk backfired on you in some way each time you used it, balancing out its power." She paused and frowned.

"My guess is that based on your sudden… sullied... appearance this morning, and your miraculous muscle recovery is a result of your quirk- or quirks- mutating to try and stop your body from harming itself." She paused, her face becoming more contemplative as she wracked her brain for the words she wanted to use.

"Have you ever heard of the word 'vocifery' before?" Izuku shook his head no as he inquisitively looked at the old woman. She continued, "It's the idea that a person can use their words to define reality." She paused, watching Izuku to see how he would react. His mouth slowly twisted upwards as he cracked a smile.

"Come on… you're joking right?" Upon seeing her serious expression, he began to falter, "Th-that's crazy. It sounds like something out of a fairytale. Sure, I could do some wild things with my quirk, but there was always some cost to it… it was give and take. What you're saying is…" He trailed off, waiting to see what else she had to say.

"Is it really that far fetched? Stories of people being able to lift cars, leap buildings, change their shape, control the elements… all of these things were just legends but now are commonplace due to quirks. Now… you say there's always been a 'cost' to using your power…" She paused and tapped her chin in thought, "I suppose the cost of complete control of reality with your voice would be your voice. Perhaps All Might's recovery came at the cost of your..." Izuku sat still for a moment as he thought of what she said. He shook his head again.

"You're joking." He said with a smile on his face. A moment later, Recovery Girl broke into a fit of wheezing laughter, causing Izuku to double down as he said, "I knew you were!" His confidence faltered as he saw the elderly woman stop laughing and a look of confusion crossed her face.

"I wasn't." She managed to say as she wheezed a few more times, "Up until you said that, I was completely serious. That just suddenly came over me…" She looked Izuku dead in the eye, no hint of laughter or a smile on her face.

"S-so when you said that the cost would be my voice, you meant…" Izuku lightly clutched at his throat.

"Just like I said, you'll trigger your quirk by speaking. But you'll lack the nuance of language: a figure of speech might not be just a saying… when you said you were so sore it felt like you were moving through mud, reality changed itself to reflect when you said." Izuku's eyes were more downcast upon hearing this, causing the elderly woman to straighten up and try speaking with a lighter tone. "I'm sorry for saying all this… again, it's just a theory. I don't want you to live in fear of yourself… just be mindful of this, okay?" Izuku bit his lip as he nodded slowly a few times.

* * *

The morning slowly rolled into the afternoon, Izuku being mostly confined to the clinic so Recovery Girl could continue to keep an eye on him. They left the room a while after their conversation so that she could get another set of X-rays to examine how his ribs were setting. While she examined the new scans, Izuku was already busy talking to his first visitor.

"Oh! I'm so glad to see my baby is fine!" Inko Midoriya said as she pulled her son into another crushing embrace. He released a sharp yelp, spurring her to release him slightly and allow him to get a few breaths of air. As he rubbed his ribs, he tried to get some of his own words across to her.

"Sorry for making you worry. I'm fi-" She cut him off with another crushing hug as tears flooded her cheeks.

"I'm just glad to see you're okay again…" She stiffened up and held him at arm's length, looking at him then Recovery Girl before asking, "You are okay right?" Inko gave him a millisecond to reply, at which point upon not immediately having her fears assuaged she pulled him in tight again while tears began streaming down her face.

"No, no, no! Oh, my baby. What's been happening to yo-" Izuku pushed on his mother, gaining some space between the two of them so he could breathe once again before he spoke.

"It's fine. I'm fine. I just…" He paused to choose his words carefully, "Had a couple of bruises, but Recovery Girl helped me with that." The elderly nurse waved from her desk, giving a smile to the two Midoriyas. Inko got up from her chair, going over to Recovery Girl and bowed down before her with her hands clasped.

"I can't thank you enough for all you've done to make sure he's healthy. To be honest, I was always afraid of Izuku chasing his dreams of being a hero, and even after he got his quirk I still wasn't sure…"

"Hey, I'm sitting right here!" Izuku shouted from the other side of the room. His mother waved a hand in dismissal and continued.

"As worried as I am about the villains' attack, it's good to see that the teachers did their best to help everyone. Though a part of me is sickened my own son was the only person in his class to get hurt during all this…" She was about to ask something of Recovery Girl, when a sound like a hurricane tore through the hall. There was some murmuring from out there, then the door slid open to reveal All Might.

"Oh, pardon the intrusion. I had come over here as soon as I was able to," he paused looking at the other occupants of the room before addressing Recovery Girl with a much quieter voice. "Upon hearing about young Midoriya, my… friend… requested I bring her along," he finished by tilting his head to his left while moving his eyes that direction. He slid the door back closed, at which point there was some more murmuring between him and another person, then he opened the door and stepped into the room. He leaned down and whispered something to the nurse, causing her to frown but nod her head.

"I'll allow you all a few minutes by yourself, I'll just be across the hall," She said as she picked up a set of folders and walked through the door, gingerly closing it behind her. Once she was out of sight, All Might approached Izuku and Inko. As he neared Izuku's bed, a troubled expression left his face, instead shifting into a wide smile. He kneeled down by the edge of the bed, the smile faltering before it dripped off his face. The older man cupped Izuku's left hand in his large palms as he hung his head in shame.

"I'm sorry. I've failed you on every level imaginable: your mentor, your teacher, and as a hero. My job was to not only protect all you children but to specifically help you adjust to the powers you both had awakened to and been given." He lifted his head to look at both the Midoriya's, his eyes glistening with tears. "My injuries already stopped me from being the full-time hero I wanted to be, yet I still was too proud to leave a rescue to my colleagues that morning… if I hadn't stopped to interfere, I would've been there to help stop those villains before you, Aizawa, or Thirteen were hurt." He gave the younger man's hand a squeeze, then let it slip from his grasp as he turned and prostrated himself before Inko.

"And although I may not be worthy of it, I beg for your forgiveness ma'am. Our school failed to guarantee your son's safety while he was here… And my own negligence has led to him being ill-equipped to use his quirks in a way that won't harm himself. I am aware that I am in no place to ask this: but I beg you give UA and myself another chance." He raised his head to look at Inko, her arms crossed in front of her as she looked down at the hero.

"As much as I may want Izuku to pursue a different, less dangerous career… or keep him away from UA or the chance of running into villains again…" She sighed, looking over at her son and gave him a soft smile, "I know that that would go against everything he'd want and has been working for. I also haven't forgotten what you've done for him before: helping him prepare for the entrance exam and training him earlier this year. In the end it's up to Izuku, all I ask is that whatever he chooses, you do right by him." She finished offering a hand to the muscular hero, the tall man taking it with a slight smile as he rose to his feet. Once he was standing again, they continued to hold onto one another for a few more moments until Izuku cleared his throat.

"Thanks for respecting my thoughts on this mom… that means a lot. I don't want to stop trying to become a hero. I've known it would be tough: I'd probably get banged up a bit, or I'd slip up and make a mistake, or one day a villain might get the best of me." He gave a grin as he turned to where he last heard his mentor, "No matter what happens, you'll always be my favorite hero. Even if you let me or someone else down, I know you wouldn't do it on purpose. You helped me and gave me a chance others would kill for, and I'll never forget that. So thank you, All Might." Izuku stifled back a few tears as he bowed over slightly in his bed towards the older man. After a moment he straightened back up, a question bubbling back up in his head from when the man had first entered the room. He leaned in towards the muscular man gesturing for him to move closer, then confirming it by putting a hand on his shoulder before whispering.

"Hey, shouldn't you not be keeping up your muscular form? Don't you need to save your energy for your patrols or any emergency heroics?" The older man leaned back and scratched his jaw.

"Perhaps it would be best to get Recovery Girl in here. Along with the other visitor I brought. There is something I must discuss about the day at the USJ with you." Toshinori drew himself up, looking from the Midoriyas to the doorway then back again before walking to leave the room. He stopped himself as he grabbed the handle, turning back to the family.

"I've already shared one secret of mine with you two… considering Izuku's part in this, there is another I'd like to let you in on. I trust you'll keep this between us as well?" The two each gave him vigorous nods, Inko adding in a quick 'of course'. The hero then turned the handle and proceeded out into the hall before closing the door back over again. The mother sent a confused glance towards her son as they waited, the door of the infirmary swinging back open again only moments later as Recovery Girl came back in. She held the door open as All Might came in, pushing a woman in a wheelchair in.

As the pair approached Izuku, he sat still with his hands folded in his lap. He tilted his head towards the sound of the wheels rolling across the floor as he strained to paint a picture through what he could hear. The woman's short raven-colored hair shifted as she tilted her head and regarded him. Her steel-grey eyes seemed to twinkle as they observed the younger man while All Might moved them closer. Izuku's thoughts were going into overdrive as his whole being cried out that there was something he couldn't wholly recall. He racked his brain trying to think what person All Might would want to bring to see him.

"Hello. I've heard much about you from Toshinori." she said in a voice like velvet as she extended a hand to Izuku. He sat motionless with a troubled look on his face as he continued to think about the reason the person was here. A small cough came from Recovery Girl as she spoke up.

"Izuku, she's offering you a handshake." His face flushed red in embarrassment and the younger man slowly extended his own hand out towards the voice. After several agonizing seconds of him moving it around in circles in the air, the two's hands met and grasped giving each other a terse shake. He turned from her towards where he approximated All Might was, cocking his head slightly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, my sight… isn't quite what it used to be." All Might raised an eyebrow at the statement but decided to hold his questions for the time being, while Inko began to tear up and sniffle as she was reminded of the news Izuku had delivered to her earlier in the day. "Ah, I'm Izuku, though I guess you know that? It's nice to… meet you?" He paused as he furrowed his brow and frowned. "I'm sorry, I feel like I know you. Have we met before?" He leaned back and folded his arms, tilting his head while 'looking' in the direction of the guests.

"Hmmm… once before. It was probably something like a dream or memory for you?" She said as she raised a finger to her lips. She lowered it, opening her mouth, but hesitating to speak. Finally she found her voice.

"I'm Nana Shimura, I used to be All Might's teacher." She lowered her voice and continued, "And the holder of One for All two generations ago." A small smile slipped onto Izuku's face, and finally he let a small laugh slip.

"But you sound so much younger than him. Or at least seem the part. All Might looks like he could be someone's da-" His mother leaned over and gave him a small slap to the back of the head.

"What?" he hissed as he rubbed the spot.

"Come on, I raised you better than that. You should be more respectful." She gave him a small frown, then turned to All Might and the new woman. "Forgive my son… I'm Inko Midoriya, his mother." She shook Nana's hand as well, then paused as a hush came over the room. Nana's laughter filled the silence shortly after, as she looked at the family.

"It did bother me when I first came to and heard the story… to think my own pupil would be decades older than me now!" She stared at the wall, eyes growing distant and foggy. She shook her head, looking around the group, her voice much quieter now, "I can hardly believe it's been that long. One moment, I was fighting the greatest evil of my time… trying to create a moment for this mountain of a man to escape- though you should've seen him back then, he was quite the string bean- the next moment, I find myself waking up in a hospital bed."

"How did that happen?" Izuku asked with an incredulous look on his face. Nana gave him a wry smile as she shifted in the chair.

"Well right at my moment of defeat, as All for One stood above my gloating, I saw someone with curly green hair. I told him to leave, get out of there. But even then he said he wouldn't leave me alone…" She paused watching the gears spin in Izuku's head, and then tilted her head to look at All Might, "He reminded me of someone I knew."

"Someone I asked if you wanted to see again…" Izuku interrupted, trailing off as it clicked back into his head. The broken, bloodied body of Nana resurfacing in his mind. His mouth went agape as he looked in her direction.

"I thought that was just a fever dream, or some weird influence from One for All." He trailed off. "So, you're saying I somehow pulled you forward to today? That's why you're younger than All Might now?" Nana shrugged in response.

"Hey, I know as much about this as you do. After hearing from Toshi that you were doing okay, I wanted to come by and see the one that I owe my life to." She bowed her head towards him, "I can never have what I had back then, but I'll never be able to repay you giving me a second lease on life." Izuku shook his head back and forth vehemently as he waved his hands in front of him.

"Please don't say something like that, I don't deserve it." As he said the words Izuku felt another tingle run down his back. Nana seemed to stiffly straighten back up into the chair. He thought back to what Recovery Girl had said to him, and his eyes went wide.

"Ah, I'm sorry!

"This seems like a good time for me to step in." Spoke up Recovery Girl as she stood at the foot of the bed between Toshinori and Inko. "As we have all seen by now, All Might's injury is completely gone now: almost miraculously his destroyed stomach and lung tissue are intact and healthier than I've seen on him in decades. This seemed to occur the same day you were injured Izuku, which was also the same day Ms. Shimura was returned to us. There's one common factor to each of these."

"Me," Izuku spoke up. He wrung his hands nervously, "So you're saying that you think this is all connected to that 'vocifery' theory you told me about before?"

"Exactly. The detectives said that the suspect they apprehended a few miles from the USJ that matched the description of the 'Nomu' was deceased upon their arrival. An autopsy showed it lacked a large part of its digestive tract and respiratory system." She paused looking intently at Izuku, "One's health exchanged for another. Something gained for a price, that sounds like what your quirk was capable of, though far different than what you've used it for."

"What I gathered from what Toshinori told me of his battle in the USJ, you were grievously wounded by the beast before he took it on again. Though before you collapsed, he felt a surge of power, accompanied by the 'Nomu' being beaten shortly after. Not even hours later, this woman seemed to be conjured out of thin air next to you. Not to mention the strange happenstances of this morning."

"What's this 'vocifery' thing and how's it related to all of this other stuff?" Interjected Inko with a puzzled look. The nurse gave her a few small nods.

"Think of it as the power to influence or make anything with your voice. My current assumption is that your son's quirk mutated due to the extreme stress put on his body, and now expresses itself similar to that." Recovery Girl concluded, she then continued as she faced Izuku directly, "I hope I'm incorrect, otherwise you must be very careful what you say. Or simply communicate in another way such as writing."

"Wouldn't that only be a problem in certain cases if I misspeak?" He asked in return.

"Imagine this then: you're sitting in class and you're asked to answer a math question, one plus one for example. You decide for some reason the answer is three and voice this. Despite our laws of mathematics proving the answer is two, in this instance our societal or perhaps even fundamental universal laws would change to make your answer three, irrefutably correct." She paused, allowing the others to understand the gravity of what she suggested to take root.

"Considering we've been speaking already today, maybe it's only certain instances or a trigger for it. Maybe with time, it will change further to any word triggering something to occur. I can't say. For now, I'd suggest being safe rather than sorry." She concluded. She paused as she looked from the mother and son to All Might and Nana.

"I think it'd be best to keep that in mind, however, I think there's something far more pressing for us to discuss: Midoriya here seems to have lost most of, if not all, his sight," Recovery Girl continued, with only a minor interruption in the form of a gasp from Toshinori and quiet sobs from Inko. "Now I have several theories: perhaps it's brain damage from his short coma or the fight with the villains. Maybe it was the cost of helping heal All Might or pulling Ms. Shimura into the future. It's still all very up in the air right now."

"Young man… I-I had no idea." Toshinori was once again at Izuku's bedside, pulling the young hero into a crushing hug. "I'm sure we can find a way to reverse this: perhaps you can exchange my health for yours… or use this power Recovery Girl spoke of to heal yourself… I could even try finding a doctor to-" A small thud was heard in the room as something connected with All Might's back, causing him to ease his grip on the younger man.

"Geez Toshinori, I thought I taught you to be more composed than that. If anything, I should be the one he swaps his health with if we're doing something drastic. But on the other hand, this isn't something we should just jump into. We need to be careful. Like I told you so long ago, you need to use your mind, not just your muscle," lectured Nana. Izuku's expression became much more focused as his brow furrowed.

"No. I don't think I should try 'swapping' my sight with someone like I did with All Might and that… thing." Izuku spoke up, making sure to choose his words carefully, "I think it's best to approach this like Recovery Girl and Nana said: with caution. Maybe someone with a healing quirk can help me down the line, but for now, this will probably be something I just have to live with." He turned in the direction his mentor and Nana's voices came from, "I do appreciate the offers. Really. But this will just be another challenge to overcome."

"Very well, if that's what you wish for, Young Midoriya. For the time being, I will be here to support you in whatever capacity I can," spoke up All Might. He turned to look at Nana, running a hand on his chin as he thought. He raised an eyebrow as something came to mind, "If you'll excuse us, we have something we need to take care of," he curtly said before swiveling back behind the wheelchair.

"Well, it was a pleasure to meet my savior. I hope your recovery proceeds well and if you need any assistance, be sure to let me know as well." The voice of Nana drifted to Izuku as All Might briskly wheeled her from the room. The faint sound of her saying, "Where are you taking me, you big oaf?" could be heard as they left.

With the room now back to just Inko, Izuku, and Recovery Girl, Inko questioned the older woman, "I know his new… handicap… will be here to stay, but are there any other issues?" Izuku heard the rustle of paper, likely Recovery Girl looking through medical observations from earlier in the day.

"Well, his leg muscles seem well enough for him to stand and walk by himself." Another page rustled as she consulted something else. "And his ribs seem to be set back into place, with no new lacerations on the chest or stomach…" A few more pages were flipped through quickly as she concluded, "I'd say he's good to be discharged at this point. Besides the glaringly obvious problem he has now, most of his other injuries will be something that should heal in the coming days to weeks with rest and no strenuous activities."

"What about my hero courses?" Izuku asked of the older woman.

"I think those should be the least of your concerns my dear. I said you can move about on your own. That doesn't mean you'll be able to move as well as you used to. As far as we know, you're down one sense and a key one at that." She paused as she became distracted by a thought, "Now, that's not to say you can't continue with becoming a hero. We'll just need to work you a bit harder."

"Is there anything we could do to help him in his day to day life a bit?" Spoke up Inko. "As much as I'd like to smother him and do everything for him… I have to admit that he'll eventually have a life of his own and have to do things for himself."

"Practice, for one thing," replied Recovery Girl, "you can train your other senses to make up for your lack of eyesight." She went over to her desk, searching through some files before returning shortly, "I think another option would be to consult either the support course or a professional hero support company. I'm sure there is a technology that could at least act as surrogate eyesight or something that would help enhance his awareness through his other senses."

"Oh! Support Gear! I know someone who was applying for the support course, I could go talk to them," Izuku said as he stood up from the bed and began walking forwards, quickly bumping face-first into a divider set up between the beds.

"Careful now," chided his nurse, both her and his mother helping him move back to sit on the edge of the bed. "For now, I'll discharge you from here. Have your mother help you back to your dorm. Try to listen around you, count how many steps you're taking. Get a general feel of where you are from your surroundings. I'll try to speak to your homeroom teacher to get a feeling for how we're to approach this."

"Thank you. For everything." Izuku said as he bowed his head in the direction of Recovery Girl. "I know I've been a burden to you ever since I got here, but you've been so helpful and supportive even when I've been difficult." Izuku felt a light tap on his head, the shape and hardness of it led him to think it was her cane.

"Think nothing of it, dear. Now, you get changed so you and your dear mother can get on your way. You need some fresh air, and I need a break."

* * *

**Elsewhere**

"Are you sure it's the best idea to bring me on here?" Asked one individual.

"Oh, don't even worry about it. If he vouches for you, then I'm more than happy to have you join our family." Came the reply from a much smaller individual. They sat pouring tea for the two of them, along with the third individual in the room. "The way I see it, your talents and experience will be best put to work with us."

"I'm not in the best shape," finally said the third individual, "It'd be good to have someone assist with whipping them all into shape."

"And it will be nice to have another set of hands to ensure nothing goes wrong next time," came the final statement from the second individual.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Howdy folks, Sorry for it taking a Pandemic for me to be able to post again. Hope all of you have been able to stay safe and healthy!

Once again: We have a growing community on Discord at /xFuDyVM if you'd like to join!  
Also: I'm still looking for more betas as well to ensure the highest quality before these chapters go to post! Just let me know if you're interested!

As always:  
I do not own the original work this is based upon. Please do what you can to support the Official Releases.


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